26 Feb 2007 |
Posted by Lama Surya Das | 0 Comment.
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“The Hitlers, Mussolinis and Pinochets of the world will be forgotten but prophets of peace like Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa will continue to dwell in people’s hearts and minds.” Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the legendary anti-apartheid activist, said in Delhi, India, on Tuesday, addressing the concluding session of the international conference on Peace, Non-violence and Empowerment – Gandhian Philosophy in the 21st Century.
“When will we learn that most effective way of dealing with differences is not by force or by annihilating each other but by making compromises? We are not learning from the history,”he said.
His half-an-hour long speech frequently drew applause from the audience and it moved them so much that they, along with the dignitaries on the podium including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, gave him a standing ovation.
Pointing out that the war and the violence in trouble-torn Iraq would not be able to find solutions, he said: “They will all find stability, peace and prosperity only through negotiations, compromises and getting into the shoes of one another.”
“This is a moral universe. Injustice, evil and destruction cannot have the last word. Truth, compassion and forgiveness will prevail.”
“We will never win a war against terror…We can be free together, we can safe together, we can be prosperous together, we can be humane together,” he added.
The archbishop received this year’s Gandhi Peace Prize Wednesday.
For my views on nonviolence and spiritual activism today, look at my current AskTheLama column at Beliefnet.com
