From Prem Rawat’s address at Synergy University, Moscow

Prem Rawat: I would like to talk about peace. But before I can, I need to establish what peace is. Each human being has strengths and weaknesses. Now, generally speaking, we know about people’s weakness. I’m not here to point out other people’s weaknesses or strengths. But what about your strength? What is your strength? When we say, “Peace is important to me,” the first thing we think of is that peace will be made possible by the world leaders, by the world economists, by some angel coming from the heavens. What if I were to tell you that the peace you are looking for is already inside of you, that it is one of your strengths?

I’m going to say something: If you want to be strong, then be gentle. If you want to be rich, be generous. If you want to be powerful, be kind. And of course, if you want to be wise, be simple. Where will you find generosity? Where will you find kindness or gentleness? And where would you find simplicity?

These are traits that cannot be borrowed, cannot be taught. They are traits that are fundamentally inside every human being. Already present! You don’t have to take a pill for it. You don’t have to make a protest for it. You don’t have to make a petition for it. You don’t have to scream for it. You don’t have to watch television or read a book for it. Kindness, gentleness, generosity, and simplicity are traits that are fundamentally in every human being. The only issue is, are you in touch with that power that is within you or not?

Without consciousness, nothing is human about a human. Without being in touch with that reality, there is nothing human about us. Savage wars go on in this world. People participate, and then others wonder, “Why does this happen?” Without understanding our potential, without understanding who we are, all that we do is merely repetition, with slight changes from one to the other.

So, people ask me, “How are you going to bring peace on this earth? Isn’t that impossible?” Maybe. I have a strategy. My strategy is, not bring peace to the world, but bring peace to people! In thousands of years, it’s the only thing that has not been tried. Everything else, we have tried. What we have not tried is person to person to person.

Q and A with University students

Delia: Good evening. I’m a student of Synergy University, and I was very touched by your program of rehabilitation for prison inmates. It’s a major problem in Russia. Would it be realistic to organize this kind of program here?

Prem Rawat: Of course! The whole idea is just to take the message to people. I think the success of the Peace Education Program in prisons, right from the start, has been that we don’t look at the people there as prisoners. To me, they’re just people, and the message is for them. It is telling them that they are alive, that they have this possibility. They have strengths inside of them, and they don’t have to be victims. They accept this message. They find that strength. And they evolve. It is a wonderful thing.

I think that’s what is missing in so many societies. We have a label for every single person. We don’t say, “You are a human being.” Even when we have our own children, we don’t look at them and say, “You are a human being.” We say, “You are my child.” We look at our wife, and say, “You are my wife!” And the wife says, “You are my husband!”

First there should be respect for another human being, acknowledgement of their humanity. It is the humanity that we need to bring back. We have so much technology, so much technology. Who is working on evolving the humane portion of that humanity? We have to.

I see a possibility emerging. This is not a revolution; this is an evolution. Peace needs to be given a chance, now!

Ilona: In the world of seven billion people and more than two hundred countries, how do you think the mentality of each nation influences people’s lives and their attitude to peace?

Prem Rawat: Wherever I go, I try to point toward people and their possibility, not to separate countries or places. I fly quite a bit. When you are on the ground, it’s people, people, people. Then the higher you go, you can see little cars and towns, but the people disappear. As you go even higher, all you see is land. You don’t see countries.

An idea, a wish, a want, that is shared by the people of this earth also does not see boundaries, also does not see limitations. I am trying to address that part of a human being that is beyond the boundaries.

The reality is that we have a thirst to be in peace. Wherever there are people who want to hear a message of peace, this is for them. Not for people who don’t want to. This is not mandatory. This is voluntary. “Do you want to take advantage of being alive? The possibilities that you already have?” And, if they do? Then, this is for them.