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The silver lining is that while people fear violence and terrorism, they also detest it and are ready at the first opportunity to reject it. They need encouragement, succour and support to fight the forces of evil.
Even in the midst of violence and counter-violence, when peace came recently to the violence-infested land of Afghanistan, the instant reaction of the man on street was picking up the threads of more civilized, more tranquil and more tolerant behaviour far more than the thought of avenging for past sufferings.
The long queues outside barber shops in Kabul, people suddenly over crowding cinema houses, women setting aside their burqas, fans watching foot-ball, and the music sounds once again filling the streets - all this and more expressed silently the courage and confidence. hope and promise of a peaceful non-violent beginning.
Six Nobel Prize Laureates (Malread Corrigan Maguire, Betty Williams, Adolfo Perez Esquivel. Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Dalai Lama and Joseph Rotblat) have in a joint appeal stated that:
"Respect for the sacredness and inviolability of human life is a principal article of faith in each of the major world religions. There is nothing, which can condone an act that has cost the lives of thousands of innocent people. We call upon the governments and peoples of the world to take concrete steps in developing a culture of Peace and Non-violence".
In the ultimate analysis, the culture of non-violence is synonymous of all civilizing values, of ethics and morality, of honesty and transparency, of serenity, of sobriety, of peace. tolerance and individual freedom. If hopes have been rekindled in the hearts of Afghans for a happier tomorrow, it is only with the expectation ahead of a peaceful environment of non-violence. They do not have to refer to any holy book of any religion for
Ahimsa: The Ultimate Winner
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