Everything has its price—even peace. No individual
or group can have peace unless it is willing to pay
for it in due measure. And that means showing
willingness suffers losses.
According to the law that governs the system of the
present world, on the principle of “no risk no gain”,
it is necessary for people to incur losses of different
kinds. At times, they are unfairly challenged by
others, they fall a prey to economic difficulties, they
suffer losses of land and wealth, they meet with an
accident or are deprived of certain benefits that
should have been theirs by right, and so on.
Unpleasant experiences of this kind, by the very law
of nature, are undergone at one time or another in
this world, by individuals, communities and
nations. In such situations, if people are not willing
to suffer any loss, the result will be violence. But if
they are willing to make sacrifices, this will result in
peace.
Opting for the way of patience and tolerance does
not mean treading the path of defeat or retreat. It is,
in fact, a future-oriented plan. It amounts to a
voluntary acceptance of reality. This means that,
even after losing something, one has always to
remember that one is still in possession of many
other things by utilizing which one can build anew.
The benefit of patience and tolerance is that, even
after suffering losses, the bereft one does not lose
his balance. In spite of temporary defeat, he never
loses the ability to think cool-mindedly and, by
making a realistic assessment of his situation, plans
his life anew. By forgetting what is lost, he
reorganizes his work on the basis of whatever he
still possesses. Frustration yields pride of place to
planning and he sets himself to starting his life’s
journey all over again.
One reliable feature of our world is that here the
night is always followed by the morning. This
world is full of possibilities and opportunities.
Here, after losing one opportunity, man will find
another. Here, if he finds one door closed to him, he
will soon find many other doors open to him. In this
way, there is always the possibility that, after the
failure of one set of plans, he may work on another
set and build his life afresh.
The truth is that in this world each piece of bad
news is followed by good news. Each adverse
incident gives man the good tidings that we should
not fall a victim to frustration or lose heart. Rather
we should muster enough courage to seek out new
opportunities. Nature’s system tells us in advance
that our deprivation is not going to last forever.
Soon we will be able to build a better world for
ourselves. Soon our defeat will prove to be a
victorious beginning.
Those who are unable to bear losses patiently tend
to lapse into negative thinking. In this way, their life
becomes a burden to themselves and to others. On
the contrary, those who have patience and courage,
build a new edifice on the ruins of the past. After
the night comes the dawn, so that in its light they
may continue their journey without a break.
However, this noble end awaits only those who
refrain from violence and engage themselves in
peaceful activities, regardless of the circumstances.
Ref -The Ideology of Peace
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
