Timeless Relevance

Samuel Huntington, a scholar and controversial expert on post cold war international politics, predicted in his article titled "Clash of Civilizations?" that the "fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural." In his book, "Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order" (1996), Huntington expands on this idea and predicted that religion will become a threatening menace on the international scene.

What made Mohandas Gandhi into a "Mahatma" and Abdul Ghaffar Khan into "Badshah Khan, the revered "Nonviolent Soldier of Islam" was an indefatigable allegiance to the eternal and universal values and ethics. They derived their strength and beliefs from the most humanistic and harmonious teachings of all major religions including Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. The lives of Gandhi and Khan are forever faith-inspiring and shower great affirmations on universal brotherhood of all nations.

As a non-profit organization, In The Light's goal is to act as an educational catalyst to bring to our attention the different alternatives and choices for harmonious living so that we can accelerate our own personal evolution. Both Gandhi and Khan's legacy of peace is imperishable and has great relevance today, tomorrow, and forever. Keeping Gandhi and Khan's victories flying high is to keep the flame of nonviolence bright and luminous and well within the reach of our thought and practice.

"nonviolence is the only thing the atom bomb cannot destroy... Unless the world now adopts nonviolence, it will spell suicide for mankind." Mahatma Gandhi

"The present world can only survive the mass production of nuclear weapons through nonviolence. The world needs Gandhi's message of love and peace more today than it ever did before, if it does not want to wipe out civilization and humanity itself from the earth's surface." Badshah Khan

Such predictions, some of which have unfortunately come true, only cloud our vision for a peaceful world order. Despite authoritative predictions and escalating havoc, all over the world people yearn for a life without violence. Rising hatred and conflict are encountered with equally resounding cries for peace and nonviolence. There is a great need and global aspiration for dialog, cooperation, and negotiation for mutual benefit to revert our sad state to tranquility. As Mahatma Gandhi states, " The nations cannot be kept on the nonviolent path by violence. It must grow from within to the state it may aspire to. The question therefore for us to consider is, "What is our aspiration?"

The alternative of nonviolence, although not universally embraced in all areas, has produced astounding results wherever utilized. In the last fifty years or so, many service organizations upholding this principle have sprung up in different parts of the world. There is a steady growth in the acceptance, practice, and education of nonviolent techniques among peace activists, academics, and even the military. While this is a good basis, we need to strive for greater consciousness about nonviolence as the only sure guarantee for peace. As we move from decade to decade, century to century, and millennium to millennium, it's imperative that we evolve from a conflict and crisis-ridden reality to a new order of a nonviolent world. We need to convince ourselves and hundreds and thousands more that there is no better code of ethics or behavior that will liberate us from destruction and misery.

As we empower ourselves with the knowledge and techniques of nonviolence, we need to pay special attention to the invaluable lessons of personal transformation both Gandhi and Khan underwent in their quest for peace. The trials and triumphs in their metamorphosis into unparalleled peacemakers are of utmost importance and relevance to the novices of nonviolence. Their lives are a repository of answers, know-how, and solutions offering pragmatic ready-to-deploy instructions thereby simplifying our work enormously.