As a young and introspective person, I have often pondered about what society needs in order to progress. And while there are plenty of things to say, one principle stands out to me the most, and that is peace.
A former Lebanese diplomat, Charles Malik, once talked about how persons are “struggling-caring beings.” According to him, as persons, we always encounter struggles in life; struggles as small as trying to wake up early to go to school despite wanting to sleep longer, or struggles as large as working in a stressful environment in order to provide for a big family. And yet we move forward and try to overcome them because, at the end of the day, we only wish to experience peace–within ourselves and with others. My name is Jawad and I, like everyone else, face many small and big struggles everyday.
I am the kind of person who’s interested in knowing the latest news around me. I always want to be there and be part of the moment. I find inner peace whenever I involve myself in the world around me. Though I must admit, the struggle to achieve internal peace and contentment will never end. If a man content with himself is strong enough to absorb the cold and warm waves of ups and downs of life, he makes peace with himself and society in which he acts and reacts. I believe that if you’re not at peace within yourself, then it would also affect how you react to the world around you. With this, I believe that one’s heart and mind should work together.
That’s why, peace of the society is linked with peace of an individual’s inner self and inner state. It requires proper nourishment of soul along with his material being. If we still have issues or problems within ourselves, how then can we make peace with our surroundings?
In my point of view, peace happens when we live out our power to choose what is universally good: tolerance, justice, and many other objective values. By using both our reason (mind) and our hearts, we are able to use our freedom for excellence. Reason and emotion should work in harmony for peace, and peace starts within ourselves.
Published on August 19, 2019
By Hafiz Jawad Sohail, WYA Asia Pacific Extern alumnus
