Peace is the foundation, the major building block upon which a healthy, functional society stands. Peace is the prominent characteristic of a civilised society and the character of a society can be seen through the collective consciousness of its members. A civilisation can be heaven or hell depending on the consciousness of its members. Consciousness creates culture - its norms, values and systems - and consciousness can transform culture. We must now develop peace of mind and with that build a culture of peace.

Bringing peace back into the personal, economic and political fibres of the social tapestry would require looking at peace from two levels: the external and the internal. Peace education, conflict resolution and all peace initiatives must take seriously the critical connection between individual and world peace.

Through creative introspection, the individual is able to discover within him or herself a vast capacity for peace and calmness. With this experience begins automatically the process of inner disarmament - the obliteration of anger, fear and hatred. Inner peace is then reflected in the behaviour, the actions and the relationships of the person, thus creating new social standards. The experience of personal peace makes the idea of world peace a possible reality. It confirms what research is now telling us: that human beings by nature are non-violent. We have gone astray from our true nature, lost our peace of mind and with that lost peace in the world. It is time to go back to that inner peace.

A thought of peace is a seed for peace in the world.