________________
'I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright day break of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I still believe that we shall overcome.'
(3) Let us Practice and Not Merely Preach - (1) UN. support for spreading world-wide culture of non-violence would be
worthwhile only if different faith communities start practising it at grass root levels and make a success of inter-faith cooperation in this sphere.
This would call for curbing inter-faith violence and settling religious differences through peaceful interaction, give and take, and conciliation. There are innumerabie opportunities for such successful experiments to be taken up even within different sects of the same religion. Natinal inter-faith
committees could do a lot of useful work in this field. (2) Merely setting up an Advisory Council of Religious & Spiritual Leaders at U.N. Head Quarters would not suffice.
Religious Leaders need to come out more actively at national and local levels in the field of promoting social welfare, providing distress relief, mitigating ecological disasters, stimulating communal harmany and so on. There has been talk of a Saints brigade - a white corps or whatever. This needs to be taken up more earnestly in all the continents as part of forging inter-faith unity and cooperation. Courage shown by spiritual leaders would pay rich dividents in creating a climate of greater acceptability of the compassionate principles of non-violence, peace harmony and equaminity.
Mother Terasa's work in different continents provides an example. She nursed the dying, she brought food with love to the poor, she practised and advocated eliminating food wastage. Service to the needy became her faith.
Jaina cornmunity in India, Africa and elsewhere has set up a chain of chantable hospitals for the poor and the needy, running many educational institutions and health services. In India in many places Jainas have organised
Arhat Vacana, April 2001
67
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
