Angels With Broken Wings
War is like a fire in the human community, one whose fuel is living beings….No soldier wants to be wounded or die. None of his loved ones wants any harm to come to him. If one soldier is killed, or maimed for life, at least another five or ten people — his relatives and friends — suffer as well. We should all be horrified by the extent of this tragedy, but we are too confused….
There are people with destructive intentions in every society…But no matter how malevolent or evil are the many murderous dictators who can currently oppress their nations and cause international problems, it is obvious that they cannot harm others or destroy countless human lives if they don’t have a military organisation accepted and condoned by society. As long as there are powerful armies there will always be danger of dictatorship….
World peace can only be based on inner peace. If we ask what destroys our inner peace, it’s not weapons and external threats, but our own inner flaws like anger. When you meet someone you don’t like, or someone says something unpleasant to you, it’s your own response that disturbs your inner peace. This is why love and compassion are important, because they strengthen us — which is a source of hope.
~ The Dalai Lama
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