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nature living beings are made for each other. We must also be aware of the fact that this external or environmental peace depends on the mental peace of individuals, since, our external behaviour is only an expression of our inner will and attitude towards life. Thus we can say that the various aspects of peace are not mutually exclusive but inclusive. The peace of society or in other words the environmental peace is disturbed, when the inner peace of the individual is disturbed and vice versa. In my humble opinion hostilities and wars are the expressions and out-come of sick mentality. It is the aggressive and selfish out look of an individual or a society that gives birth to confrontations among individuals, individuals and society as well as among different social or religious groups and nations. At the root of all types of confrontations and wars, which disturb our environmental peace there lies the feeling of discontentment as well as will for power, possesion and hoarding. Thus social disturbances, conflict and confrontations are only symptoms of our mental tensions or sick mentality.
In fact, the peace of society depends on the psychology or mental-make-up of its members, but it is also true that our attitude twards life and behavioural patterns is shaped by our social environment and social training. The behavioural pattern and mentality of the members of non-violent society will surely be different from that of a violent society. While on the one side social norms, ideals and conditions affect the mental make- up and behavioural pattern of the individual, on the other side there are also individuals who shape the social norms, ideals and conditions.
Though it is correct that in many cases disturbed social conditions and environmental factors may be responsible for vitiating our mental peace, yet they can not disturb the persons, strong spiritually. According to Jainism spiritually developed soul remains unaffected at his mental level by external factors. But on the other hand disturbed mental state necessarily affects our social and environmental peace. Thus for Jainas the inner peace of the soul is cause and that of the society is the effect. Modern tension theory also supports this view. A book namely 'Tensions that Cause Wars' tells us that 'economic inequalities, insecuritie and frustrations create groups and national conflicts but for Jains economic inequalities and feeling of insecurities can not disturb those persons, who are self-contained and free from doubts and fears. So far as
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Shri Vijyanand Suri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth
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