“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”—Eleanor Roosevelt, American First Lady
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Last January 13, the Iglesia Ni Cristo had their “National Peace Rally” all over the country. It was their way of supporting the call of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. not to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.
When Jesus Christ was set to leave His disciples, He told them: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
The Greek term for “peace” encompasses a variety of interpretations, including its use as a customary greeting and farewell. It signifies not only the cessation of war and strife but also represents inner serenity and composure.
However, Jesus introduced a distinct form of peace to the world. At the time of His birth, the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).
Until now, peace has been elusive as ever. That was what the late John Lennon, one of the Beatles, also dreamed of. In one of his famous songs, he wrote: “Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.”
Even Martin Luther King, Jr. himself longed for peace. “One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal,” he said. “We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.”
“Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace,” Gautama Buddha pointed out.
But what is peace? “Peace is more precious than a piece of land,” said Egypt’s Anwar Sadat. An anonymous author puts it this way: “Peace is the marriage of the people and the planet, with all attendant vows.”
If you have seen the Hollywood movie, Miss Congeniality (starring Sanda Bullock), there was a particular scene where beauty contestants were asked to state their thoughts on anything. At the end of each answer, they all had one appeal: “World peace.”
Alfred Bernhard Nobel was the man who invented dynamite. At the time of his passing, he owned factories dedicated to the production of explosives across various regions globally. Nevertheless, his will stipulated that the majority of his $9 million estate be allocated to create a fund for the annual awarding of prizes recognizing excellence in physics, chemistry, medicine and physiology, literature, and – indeed, you are right! – the promotion of world peace.
Its Asian counterpart – the Ramon Magsaysay Award (in honor of the late Philippine President) – has added the word “peace” in its international understanding category. My former boss, Harold R. Watson, received the prestigious award in 1985.
The Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa themselves collected the same award before they were honored with the Nobel Peace Prize.
But despite all the recent initiatives, peace is elusive as ever. “Do you know what astonished me most in the world?” asked French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. “(It’s) the inability of force to create anything. In the long run, the sword is always beaten by the spirit. Soldiers usually win battles and generals get the credit for them. You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war. If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.”
How can peace be attained? “If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies,” Moshe Dayan advised. “Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding,” Ralph Waldo Emerson said.
War is not the solution to the problem, although war is going on in other parts of the world to attain peace. But peace can also be achieved if they lay down their arms. The Bible foresees: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4).
Hafast Abiola shares this idea: “Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.”
American President John F. Kennedy reiterated, “But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings.”
“Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold,” the Dalai Lama claims. “It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.”
Is peace a wishful thinking? Well, Mahatma Gandhi declared, “It is possible to live in peace.”
And Walt Whitman, in his Leaves of Grass, wrote: “Peace is always beautiful.”
