We can only achieve true peace within, among, and around ourselves by first achieving inner peace. Part of happiness is developing a universal sense of responsibility and a secular set of ethics.
I will always stand by nonviolence. That means intelligently loving your enemy. Through intensive meditation, we will find that our enemies can become our best friends. By following purely secular ethics, we will become more easygoing, empathetic, and judicious people. Then there is a chance for the twenty-first century to be a century of peace, a century of dialogue, and a century of a more caring, responsible, and empathetic human race.
That is my hope. And that is my prayer. I look forward with joy to the day when children will learn the principles of nonviolence and peaceful conflict resolution – in other words secular ethics – at school.
Far too much stock is placed in material values these days. They are important, but they will not solve our stress, anxiety, anger, or frustration. Still we must overcome our mental burdens such as stress, fear, anxiety, and frustration. That is why we need a deeper level of thinking. That is what I call mindfulness.
Through meditation and contemplation we can learn, for example, that patience is the most potent antidote for anger, satisfaction for greed, bravery for fear, and understanding for doubt. It is not very helpful to rage against others. Instead, we should strive to change ourselves.
We need to make worldwide efforts to stop, contain, or eliminate all violent methods. It is not enough anymore to tell people that we oppose violence and want peace.
We must use more effective methods. Arms exports are a major impediment to building peace.
Whenever we face difficulties or there is an economic crisis, or even when religious disputes arise, we must work towards a model where the only correct method is dialogue.
We must learn that we are all brothers and sisters. The past century was the century of violence. This twenty-first century should be the century of dialogue! We can never change the past, but we can always learn from it to create a better future.
The idea that problems can be solved with violence and weapons is a disastrous delusion. With rare exceptions, violence always leads to more violence. In our interconnected world, war is an anachronism that contradicts reason and ethics. The Iraq War, which George W. Bush began in 2003, was a catastrophe. This conflict still hasn’t been resolved to this day and has claimed the lives of many people.
It is plainly not enough to appeal to politicians’ desire for peace. It is more important for increasing numbers of people throughout the world to speak out for disarmament. Disarmament is compassion put into practice. But the prerequisite for external disarmament is an inner disarmament of hatred, prejudice, and intolerance. I appeal to all current warring parties: “Don’t arm yourselves! Disarm!” And to all people: “Overcome hatred and prejudice with understanding, cooperation, and tolerance!”
Notwithstanding all the suffering that China has brought upon us Tibetans for decades, I am deeply convinced that most human conflicts can be resolved through sincere dialogue. This strategy of nonviolence and reverence for all life is Tibet’s gift to the world.
Dalai Lama
Dharamsala, India
In the United States, President Donald Trump governs according to the mottoes “America First” and “Make America Great Again.” Are these mottoes still up-to-date in this age of globalization?
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