Increasing desires and struggle for prestige, power and need to dominate others brings out violence in society and national levels. Our education is geared at imparting increased information and income. We aim at bigger jobs with better salaries. The standard of living has gone up. The violence and crime rate has also gone up in the society. We have possessions but live with fear of violence which stalks us at all times.
Society is made up of groups of people. All change in society must come from the individual level within the group. Education which is a basic necessity for growth and development must emphasise on non violence and peace. From a young age, we must be taught reverence for life. Where there is reverence for life, there will be ahimsa. All creation is divine. We are all children of God. We are parts of the same Cosmic Body. When the toe is hurt, the eye weeps. These truths should be taught at the school levels with examples of global progress and global disasters. When one part of the world progresses economically, the other parts share the benefit. When one part of the world is hit by natural or manmade calamities, the suffering and shortcomings in that part will have effect on other parts of the world in form of fall in food production and exports, increased diseases and sickness, slump in stock market etc.
Children should be taught from early age to solve problem through discussions and not fists. When they learn to integrate thought, word and deed, there is simplicity in their character and bearing which helps ahimsa to blossom. Respect for others opinions, harmonious differences and non violent solutions to differences will help us to have mastery over our baser selves.
Peace, satisfaction and contentment in life come when we work for humanity and for a higher purpose. Children must be taught and trained in community service and service of needy from a young age to experience these truths. Respect for nature and appreciation of creation will ensure that children learn to use resources well and not spoil or pollute nature. When there is advancement of understanding and truth, ahimsa or nonviolence flourishes.
Our world has suffered many recent wars and lives in the shadow of oncoming wars. These have resulted in great horrors and countless deaths. How do we reconcile war and ahimsa? In the Bhagwad Geeta, Sri Krishna teaches ahimsa. He also orders Arjun to fight and destroy the Kauravas and their huge army. That would be mean killing of many tens of thousands of soldiers. And it would cause destruction of their families. Was this order of Sri Krishna a contradiction?
A simple everyday example helps us understand the above. When a person falls sick, the doctor has to sometimes cut off the diseased part in order to save the body. Such an operation is ahimsa. It is following of dharma of a doctor for the highest good of the patient. Duryodhana of the Kauravas and his group were like a cancerous growth. They had to be cut and removed in order to save the society. Small remedies cannot erase evils like the powerful, battle hungry Duryodhana. If people like him are not removed, the society will disintegrate and good people will suffer. Sri Krishna was asking to follow the laws of Dharma and Ahimsa though the entire war was full of bloodshed and carnage.
As individuals we do not respond to violence with guns, arms and armaments. We can cope up with violence with ahimsa, peace and non injury. But at the level of the Nation, the Government cannot allow the security of the nation to be endangered. It must be always prepared to defend the security of the nation from anything and anyone. Ahimsa must be understood in its totality.
