To desire peace, to wish for the happiness of one’s family, to seek a secure and safe life – these are the shared sentiments of people everywhere. There is no parent anywhere who does not grieve at the death of a child in war.
* * *
"I don’t want toys or chocolate. All I want is peace and freedom. People of Europe, people of the world, please find the humanity in your hearts to put an end to this war!"
– A young girl of the former Yugoslavia
* * *
If we think about it, people are not born Turks or Americans. They are not born Palestinians or Jews. There are merely labels.Each of us is born as a precious entity of life, as a human being.
Our mothers didn’t give birth to us thinking, “I’m giving birth to a Japanese” or “I’m giving birth to an Arab.” Their only thoughts was “May this new life be healthy and grow!”
In any country, a rose is a rose, a violet is a violet, people are people – though they may be called by different names.
Perhaps the clouds and winds high above the blue waters of the Bosporus are whispering among themselves as they gaze down upon humanity: “Wake up! From up here, it is clear that the world is one. You are all citizens of Earth. There is no such thing as Americans, no such thing as Iraqis. There is only this boy, this life called Bob, who happens to live in America; there is only this boy, this life, Mohammed, who happens to live in Iraq. Both are children of Earth. And yet they are divided by the names of their countries and taught to hate each other! Wake up from this foolishness, this arrogance, this cruel habit of passing hatred and resentment on to the next generation.”
We need to awaken to a common conscious of being all inhabitants of Earth. This consciousness is not to be found in some distant place. It will not be found on a computer screen. It lies in our hearts, in our ability to share the pain of our fellow human beings. It is the spirit that says: “As long as you are suffering, whoever you are and whatever your suffering may be, I suffer also.”
* * *
The above is one of the many essays written by my mentor - Dr Daisaku Ikeda, in this wonderful book. It is also one which touches me really deeply. Each year in Singapore, we celebrate Racial Harmony Day in our schools. But in my heart, I always felt that harmony, although important, is pretty superficial compared to the cries for a common consciousness of all humanity. Only by developing this compassion to penetrate through our differences, can be achieve true peace towering even the harmony we had already attained. This is the compassion of the Buddha!
* * *
She still looked at him as if she did not understand. The sergeant repeated–
“What party do you belong to?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you with the Blues? Are you Whites? Who are you with?”
“I am with my children.”
- From Victor Hugo’s Ninety-Three
