Peace: What Does It Mean?

Let’s understand the history and facts better to make it happen

By: Kashoo Tawseef

There have been many deliberations about the word peace and so called peace processes in various parts of the world including Jammu Kashmir. What it means to the world and what it means to Kashmir remains to be seen. But Dalai Lama has something interesting to say where ignorance is our master; there is no possibility of real peace. If one puts the words of Dalai Lama in context of Jammu Kashmir; it seems very clear that its ignorance of the facts and history that is a big hindrance in the peace at large. 

The struggle for peace is going on in most of the war and conflict ridden areas of the world; for some the state of Jammu Kashmir is part of this on going struggle. Sagar Parsi in his novel Discovery of Peace says the peace is that state in which one feels free to survive. Here a question arises that is this peace persisting in Jammu Kashmir, if yes, how much?

Peace has different meanings to different parties. The way freedom struggle and terrorism are used for same types of acts. One can be freedom fighter for one and a terrorist for other. We have to distinguish between the two as same can be the case in different parts of the world. For oppressors those fighting are terrorists, for people of these areas they are freedom fighters. Peace can be peace of a graveyard were those remain buried along with their aspirations. They can’t resist what ever is done on them. Peace can be a living society where every member of it and every section of it feel satisfied that justice has been served to them as justice and peace are the two sides of same coin. One is peaceful out of contentment not out of helplessness. Peace to me means peace of the second type peace which results out of justice not out of oppression. And to work for peace means to work for justice. Justice being pre-requisite for peace deserves priority for those who want peace out of sincerity not peace as a camouflage for subjugation and perpetuation of oppression. Those who work for peace with justice and not those to whom peace in it self, is an end without satisfaction of those demands and aspirations which led to disruption of peace.

Various set ups at different levels in Jammu Kashmir were part of that process. The composite peace process losses its motion when any thing awful happens in any of the two countries of the sub continent. Peace processes are always fragile unless they get support from the ground level. Peace process becomes mockery when the killing, loot and plunder continue unabated on the ground. Over few years the peace process, despite taking many steps that was welcomed in India and Pakistan has been seen in Kashmir with large uncertainty. The two countries have yet to appreciate that resolving the issue of Kashmir is in their interest also. The dream of India to become a developed nation by 2020 is, most of the political analysts would agree, highly improbable with out resolving the Kashmir knot. We have seen that it is the Kashmir concern which has time and again put cleavage between the two nations and kept them from exploiting the economic avenues that they can otherwise jointly avail in a peace full ambiance. And by doing so it is inflicting heavy economic losses on its huge population living below the poverty.

A king once offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose only between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest – in perfect peace. Which was the picture that won prize? 

The second picture, why? "Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

To embrace the peace process; and to build an atmosphere which is conducive for working out suitable strategies for the future is a peaceful settlement of all the bilateral problems between the two neighboring nation including that of Jammu Kashmir. Let the echelons of the peace wake up and do it for Jammu Kashmir so that every one can survive with peaceful and dignified life. Hope it will be executed and lasts for the better tomorrow as Albert Einstein beautifully sums up peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. Let’s understand the history and facts better to make it happen.

Please leave your comments, if any