These days it’s realistic to work for co-existence on global level. It’s no longer appropriate to thinking only of ‘my country’. We must educate the young in the ways to achieve genuine world peace, taking the entire world, the whole of humanity, into account on a global level.
Everyone wants to live in a peaceful world, but it’s necessary to understand that what destroys peace is anger and hatred. This is why the long term goal is to create inner peace within individuals, so contributing to a more compassionate humanity.
What’s past is past, nothing can change that. But the future can be different if we choose to make it so. We have to cultivate a vision of a happier, more peaceful future and make the effort now to bring it about. This is no time for complacency, hope lies in the action we take.
I don’t like formality. There’s no formality when we’re born and none when we die. In between we should treat each other as brothers and sisters because we all want to live a happy life. This is our common purpose and our right.
HHDL sends 90th birthday greetings to Archbishop Desmond Tutu followed by a short talk on compassion in his message to the 11th Annual Desmond Tutu Peace Lecture on October 7th, 2021. https://t.co/fi4Lb6YsCv
If you are motivated by a wish to help on the basis of kindness, compassion and respect, then you can do any kind of work, in any field, and function more effectively with less fear or worry, not being afraid of what others think or whether you will ultimately reach your goal.
In my experience, what we need is a calm mind and warm-heartedness provides a basis for that. That's how we make ourselves happy as individuals in families, local communities and nations. If we can train those who are young today in these qualities we’ll create a happier world.
When affectionate relations exist between members of a family, each one is confident of being able to call on the others for support. In a similar way, we must constantly remind ourselves of the oneness of humanity.
Negative emotions like attachment and anger are part of our lives, but there are antidotes to them. We need to reflect not only on the damage anger and fear can do, but also on the benefits to be found in cultivating compassion and non-violence and find a balance between them.
Creating a more peaceful world requires a peaceful mind and a peaceful heart. As human brothers and sisters we must live together with affection and respect. The only way to solve human problems and preserve the peace is to meet, talk and engage in dialogue. #PeaceDayChallenge
Everyone wants to live in a peaceful world, but it’s necessary to understand that what destroys peace is anger and hatred. This is why the long term goal is to create inner peace within individuals, so contributing to a more compassionate humanity.
The direction of our lives needs to be positive. We weren’t born to cause trouble or do harm to others. For our life to be of value, I think we must develop good human qualities – warmth, kindness, compassion. Then our life will become meaningful and more peaceful – happier.
We all have a responsibility to educate our human brothers and sisters. Inner values are the ultimate source of happiness, not money and weapons, whether you’re talking about individuals or the whole of humanity.
The direction of our lives needs to be positive. We weren’t born to cause trouble or do harm to others. For our life to be of value, I think we must develop good human qualities – warmth, kindness, compassion. Then our life will become meaningful and more peaceful – happier.
As soon as I wake up, I think about altruism. I reflect on the verse that says, "So long as space remains, I will remain in order to serve sentient beings." This gives me inner strength and determination, so there’s no longer any danger of destructive emotions arising.