By: Maureen Goodman
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/1898/the-daily-guardian%09/15 
Dated: January 11th, 2025

“The root of war is a deficit of love.”

The importance of the practice of non-violence could not be more important than it is today. What follows are thoughts, and contemplations on the crucial need for peace in our world.

Non-violence is not about the absence of violence, it is about igniting the inherent love within us all.  This love, that does not seek any reciprocation, that is totally altruistic, is what can become the healing force that the world needs.  This is why igniting human goodness is essential for global peace.  Human goodness seeks to love, to be kind and compassionate, to heal, to accept, to be just.  Human goodness is the truth of who we are and falsehood cannot stand in the face of truth.  Human goodness is the original state of each and every human being.

What is a human being?  A life force that works through the physical form.  You may use the term soul, being, consciousness for that life force.  We generally derive our identity from our physical form, that is our body, the identity of our gender, our culture, our ethnicity and as we grow up and progress the aspects of identity increase – our profession, our wealth, our status in society and so on. And with each identity I have a different set of responses which then forms my personality and a different set of obligations which then can become burdensome.  There areis a problems with this identity; one is that it changes from time to time and so my personality also changes and this means that my identity is then defined by the circumstances around me, rather than from within.  The other aspect is that it needs verification from someone or something else.  This is the root of many difficulties; it leads to insecurity, ego, fear and to possessiveness.  

This is because there is an intimate connection between what is happening inside of us, in our hearts and minds, and our external world.  Caring first for my own innermost feelings and thoughts helps us to have the strength to care for and offer comfort to others.  When anger, fear and hatred can wreak so much havoc, what can the power of fearlessness and love not do?

Dadi Janki, the late Administrative Head of the Brahma Kumaris, was once asked:

“How can you maintain inner goodness when there is so much evil in the world?  Where is the place of righteous anger about what is happening in the world and how do we overcome injustices unless we fight it?”

Dadi replied: “If the seed is poison then the fruit can only be poison.  Even if you nurture, water, care and shield the tree it can never bear good fruit.  When you are the seed of peace then everything you do contributes to sharing who you are with the world.  When you are anger, hatred and violence you cannot be an agent for peace.”

In 2022, I had the privilege of joining a group of religious leaders on a visit to Ukraine just after the war began.  On return I was asked in an interview: “Where is God in all this?  Why has God allowed this war?”

I asked another question: “Where is humanity in all this?  What have we done that we have brought ourselves to this point …?”

As I contemplated on this further, I understood the importance of faith and our connection with a higher being or a greater force than ourselves that is essential to gain the strength that is needed for such a profound transformation in the world.  Faith means that our task of peace cannot fail, if we always remain honest in everything we do.  We have faith that our honesty and strength of conviction is the kind of courage that attracts God’s help.  In this way, we will never be alone and we are sure to receive the support that we need.  We have a saying that we take one step of courage and God takes one thousand steps towards us.  

The culture and atmosphere in which we live can facilitate healing or perpetuate suffering.  An atmosphere of authenticity and love, especially in leadership, can enable reconciliation, forgiveness, trust and ultimately healing.  There is the possibility of environments of collective care, where wellbeing is the highest priority, where healing is built into the structure of our communities, institutions, and systems.  This is the foundation upon which our societies and the natural world can flourish.

Let us continue to nurture this true love within us so that we all together can be the hope for humanity.

Maureen Goodman is the Program Director 
for the Brahma Kumaris UK, and BK NGO representative 
to the United Nations in Vienna