Page 214 - Quranic Wisdom - New.indd

The Philosophy of Peace

the common ground between the two parties. Always remember
that peace can be established on some common ground, and
common ground is that which is more acceptable to the other
party. Your own wishes cannot provide a common ground. You
can discover the common ground only by adopting the formula
of practical wisdom.
Peace is not simply peace. It is something which opens up
others’ hearts. Showing leniency on your part makes others
lenient also. If you take a back seat, the result will be miraculous.
People themselves will ask you to go ahead and take the front
seat. Don’t try to play the role of the leader. Be a follower and
you will win the hearts of the other party.

Putting your trust in God means putting your trust in reason,
common sense and the indirect results that may emanate from
the normalization of the situation. In the believer’s language, it is
a divine blessing and in secular language, it is the law of nature.
Two kinds of benefits flow from any kind of dealings—direct
and indirect. This is true also of any peace settlement. Every
peace settlement produces some benefits. In direct terms these
benefits may not be very great, but there are also some indirect
benefits. These benefits may seem negligible at the time of the
settlement, but the future will show you that indirect benefits
amount to far more than direct benefits. One very important
piece of wisdom is that you should not try to connect other
problems with peace—peace for the sake of this and peace for the
sake for that is not wise thinking. The only wise course is to adopt
the formula: Peace for the sake of peace. For example, peace with
justice is a beautiful idea, but it is completely unwise to lay down
such a condition, because such a move could prevent peace from
becoming a reality. It should be borne in mind that the most
important feature of peace is that it gives you the opportunity
to strive towards the desired ends rather than provide instant
rewards in terms of justice or financial gain.

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