Prem Rawat at Parliament of Italy

Emilio Colombo former President of the European Parliament, former Italian Prime Minister & lifetime Senator welcomes Prem Rawat at the House of Parliament in Rome, Italy. President Colombo was also Finance Minister eleven times and Foreign Minister six times. He was one of the main negotiators for the Helsinki, Maastricht, and Camp David agreements.
Emilio declares that Maharaji looks at peace from a very individual perspective. The Parliament of Italy ‘Parlamento Italiano’ is the national parliament of Italy.
Brief Excerpt from the address:
Prem Rawat Maharaji at Parliament of Italy



In a world where so much is going on—where there are so many issues, ideas, inventions, and technology—why am I talking about peace? I talk about peace, not as an option in life, not as something that would be nice to have, but as a fundamental feeling that we all need to feel every day we awaken, every day we exist. When I say "we," what I'm talking about is each one of us despite our barriers or differences. We begin to believe our differences. Sometimes when I am piloting an airplane, I make an announcement, just for fun, that just below you can see the border between two countries. Amazingly enough, people start to look. The world teaches us differences and we begin to believe in them. "You are from this country and you are from that country; you speak this language and you speak that language; you like this and you like that." We forget that the fundamental thing that drives us all is the same. We forget that we may be speaking different languages, but what we are saying is exactly the same. "I am thirsty" can be said in many languages. It means exactly the same thing.

When the desire for peace is fundamental to each one of us, should it be such an alien thing? The question isn't whether we want peace. The question is: Do we feel the thirst for peace? The question isn't whether the treasure exists. The question is: Has it been discovered? Once the thirst for peace is understood in a human being's life, the person will look for water, for peace. They will look within.

I see thousands of labels in this world, and I don't know why they are there. Many labels were put on things way before I was born. People believe in them. Nobody questions these labels. When people hear that the definition of peace is the absence of war, they say, "Yes, that's true." There is a war that rages on inside of a human being that is far more ferocious than any war on the outside. This war continues way past the cease-fires. The outside war is the manifestation or the reflection of the inside war that we see. We have a sense of imbalance, but we don't recognize what is causing it.

I have to acknowledge what I need in my life. If I want peace, I have to acknowledge it. I have to say to myself, in the simplest of words, "Yes. I feel the thirst for peace." I can use fancy words to impress other people, but I cannot use fancy words to impress me. If I want to impress me, I have to speak the truth. Maybe to the world, truth is a scary word, but truth is what the heart wants to hear. That thirst needs to be quenched. Peace is what the heart needs to feel.

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