By Matters India Reporter
Indore, Feb 1, 2022: A three-day global convention ended February 1 in the central Indian city of India with a clarion call to make peace building a priority for individuals and organizations.
Peace building cannot be left to politicians and governments, and each individual should take the responsibility to build peace by creating peace within oneself first, asserted the convention that began January 30, the 74th martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi.
The participants, who attended the convention online and offline, adopted a ten-point plan to foster peace in the world.
They proposed creating “a sacred space and time” in the family to help inculcate spirituality in children. Parents and elders in the family should share with children the core values of their own religion as well as the universal values found in other religions.
The convention stressed promotion of harmony among religions by encouraging people to study all religions and their values and thus promote the policy of “Sarva Dharma Samhav” (Equal respect for all religions) that guides the Indian Constitution.
It wants people to express solidarity, sympathy and compassion with people in distress and crisis situations. This would help spread goodness around, the participants agreed.
To curtail current trend of hate mongering, the convention urged people not to send or forward hate messages. “Instead create peace messages and spread them through social media platforms in order to create an environment of peaceful and harmonious coexistence,” it says.
The convention suggests introducing programs in schools to promote critical thinking and create an atmosphere of happiness.
Another proposal is to allocate a particular percent of time and funds for social causes and “an expression of giving back to society.”
The convention recommends organizing peace clubs and interfaith prayers in schools to impart value education for peace. It also wants schools to teach students ways to meet conflict situations.
Other proposals are sustainable use of resources through the policy of reduce, reuse and recycle; and organize regional peace conventions to spread the message of peace and promote peace building.’
The convention wants delegates to a peace convention stay in houses of the people of different faiths.
Bharat Chhaparwal, former vice chancellor of Indore’s Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, the chief guest who joined the convention online, urged the participants to form peace clubs in all schools and colleges and organize peace conferences, small and big, in cities, towns and villages.”
Markandey Rai, the special guest of the concluding session, urged the organizers to send the convention recommendations to the United Nations “with a request to rename the Security Council as Peace Council.”
Father Varghese Alengaden, the president of the National Peace Movement, in his presidential address appealed the participants to decide one action plan they would implement individually and another as a group.
One of the themes the convention addressed was religion’s role in promoting peace. The convention recalled Mahatma Gandhi, who stressed religion as a path to connect oneself with God and it should lead to truth, spirituality, self-realization, sarvadharma samabhav and service to humanity.
The convention pointed out that since all religions are human creation, they are imperfect and none of them can claim that it is better than others.
“If the world, especially India, has to experience peace, equality of all religions and religious diversity are to be accepted and celebrated,” the convention asserted.
The program called for adopting innovative strategies without compromising the principles of truth and non-violence to address the current challenge of exploiting religion for gaining political power in various parts of the world.
“The real peace is in the welfare and wellbeing of people and freedom from all kinds of social evils and that is why Gandhiji made removal of untouchability as part of the independence struggle,” explained the program organized by National Peace Movement in collaboration with Universal Solidarity Movement, Indore and Rotary Club 3040.
Thank you, Fr Alengaden, for organising the convention on world peace.
I think it was Swami Vivekananda who said: “spirituality cannot be taught on an empty stomach”. The problem with philosophers is that they are more spiritual and less practical. So let us turn to Christianity, or rather practical Christianity, to find solution to present day problems.
I would request you to read about Major C.H. Douglas and Social Credit movement, which he called practical Christianity, and organise conventions on this subject as you are doing on peace.