The peace we seek begins within
Peace cannot be treated as an issue for governments, diplomats, armies and international organisations alone. It requires continuous investment at every level of society, beginning with individuals, families and communities.
The peace we seek begins within
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By Sister Anjaly
On 21 September, Uganda joined the rest of the world in observing the United Nations International Day of Peace under the theme, “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”
Although the day has passed, its message remains just as relevant today. Peace cannot be treated as an issue for governments, diplomats, armies and international organisations alone. It requires continuous investment at every level of society, beginning with individuals, families and communities.
This year’s commemoration came at a difficult time for humanity. Within our own region, communities continued to suffer the consequences of conflict and displacement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, while insecurity persisted in parts of Somalia and elsewhere on the African continent.
Beyond Africa, wars and tensions in the Middle East, Ukraine and other parts of the world continued to destroy lives, separate families and leave millions of people living with fear, trauma and uncertainty.
Against this background, Uganda had reason to appreciate the relative peace and stability the country continued to enjoy and the contribution it had made towards regional peace and security.
We particularly recognised His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for Uganda’s continued involvement in regional efforts aimed at promoting dialogue and stability. Uganda had participated in initiatives concerning peace in eastern DRC, dialogue over the conflict in Sudan and peace and security efforts in Somalia.
Such interventions continued to remind us that peace between nations requires dialogue, patience, tolerance, understanding and a willingness to resolve differences without resorting to violence.
But the International Day of Peace also provided an opportunity to reflect on another dimension of peace that is sometimes overlooked.
Many conflicts begin long before physical violence takes place. They begin in our thoughts, attitudes, emotions and words. Anger can become harsh speech. Suspicion can develop into mistrust. Bitterness can turn into hatred, and hatred can eventually lead to violence.
Peace, therefore, begins with me.
This is a message that the Brahma Kumaris, a worldwide spiritual movement founded in India in the 1930s, has shared for generations. The movement teaches that peace is not something that human beings must simply wait to receive from the world around them.
Peace is an inherent spiritual quality that can be rediscovered through self-awareness, reflection and meditation.
Through Raja Yoga meditation, individuals are encouraged to take a journey inward — to understand themselves beyond their jobs, titles, possessions, achievements, failures and social identities and to rediscover their deeper spiritual identity.
The meditation does not require complicated physical exercises, rituals or mantras. It can be practised while sitting comfortably, often with the eyes open. Through quiet reflection, a person becomes increasingly aware of his or her thoughts and learns to choose peaceful and positive responses instead of automatically reacting with anger, fear or hostility.
This remains important because although we cannot always control what happens around us, we can learn to control how we respond to it.
Finding inner peace does not mean withdrawing from the realities of life. Neither does it mean ignoring injustice, suffering or disagreement. Rather, it involves developing the inner stability and wisdom needed to confront difficult situations without allowing anger, fear and hatred to determine our actions.
We see the value of this approach in everyday life. A peaceful parent speaks differently to a child. A peaceful husband or wife manages disagreement differently. A peaceful employer treats workers with dignity. A peaceful leader listens before reacting. And a peaceful citizen can disagree strongly with another person without automatically treating them as an enemy.
Gradually, inner peace contributes to family peace. Peaceful families strengthen communities. Peaceful communities help build peaceful nations, and peaceful nations contribute to a more peaceful world.
In Uganda, the Brahma Kumaris operates Raja Yoga Meditation Centres in Kampala and Jinja, where people from different backgrounds have continued to learn and practise meditation and explore practical approaches to inner peace and positive living.
The International Day of Peace may have passed, but the responsibility it placed upon each of us remains.
The call to invest in peace should therefore not only be directed towards presidents, governments, institutions, mediators and peace organisations. Each of us must also make a deliberate investment in peace within ourselves.
The world urgently needs peace. Governments must continue negotiating, mediating and investing in peaceful societies. Communities must reject violence and find better ways of managing differences. Families must nurture tolerance, respect and understanding.
But lasting peace cannot be built through agreements and institutions alone.
A peaceful world ultimately requires peaceful human beings.
Peace begins in the mind, grows in the home and eventually reaches the wider community.
That is why, even beyond the International Day of Peace, the challenge remains before each one of us: What am I doing today to become a more peaceful person?
Om Shanti, I am a peaceful soul.
The writer is the Centre Coordinator – Brahma Kumaris Kampala Centre