Peace, Harmony and Reconciliation

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can be achieved by understanding.
Albert Einstein
In the pandemic world, life has become uncertain and plans have gone awry. Peace seems like an impossible aim. Bearing this in mind, the school conducted a webinar. Our Principal, Fr Sunil Fernandes SJ, in his address said that given the current state of the world, we should focus on peace instead of anger and on reconciliation instead of division. Fr. Sunil’s advice was that each one must reach out with love and compassion, make time for reconciliation and spread the gospel of peace.

The guest speaker, Dr. Raja Ram, Professor and Head of the English Department of St Joseph’s Commerce College, spoke of peace, harmony and reconciliation by referring to three shlokas of ancient Indo-wisdom. He said that inclusive happiness, the inherent plurality of Indian society and the mantra of ‘Let us all sit, eat and work together’ could be a solid foundation for peace in the society.

The second speaker Professor Mohammed Bilal Umri said that our words should be like a beautiful tree whose roots are deep and the branches spread out wide into the sky, giving fruit across all seasons. He insisted that we live in a world of differences but the common factor was our humanity. His words of advice were: smile - as a cheerful face is free yet priceless and choose words carefully as they cannot be recalled once spoken.

The final speaker Fr Royal Nazareth, a Catholic priest and the Director of Holy Cross Family Ministries and Hope Counselling Centre, said that peace leads to harmony which brings reconciliation and that in turn generates peace. Fr. Royal alleged that peace, harmony and reconciliation was to the soul of the person as the DNA was to the body. Man needs to cultivate ‘a sense for the other’ as no one can live in isolation.

The Vice Principal, Mr. Uday Kumar addressed the audience saying that ‘Peace’ is a calm mental state of inner equilibrium. Even though peace was compromised during the past year, he insisted that many had learnt to live in harmony with self, with others and with nature - especially during the lockdown. Mr. Uday Kumar urged the gathering to focus on the various facets of these abstract feelings which is vital for our well-being.

Mrs. Rebecca Thomas, staff of SJBHS spoke on the benefits of yoga as a science of right living. She elaborated on the therapeutic effects of yoga for the body, mind and soul for a healthy, harmonious and peaceful life.

The message of peace, harmony and reconciliation needs to stay with us – helping us when the going gets tough, bringing to the fore the right perspective in trying times and serving as a beacon when life gets back on the right track.