Ambassador for Peace Presentation- Rome, Italy, December 2012
Honorable members of the Parliament, government and distinguished guests. Some times we forget what this process of peace is. There are many ideas of what Peace is. The most practical example I can give is, when you clean something. What do you do- Do you the clean from a bottle and spread it all over? Or do you take the dirt and remove it? When the dirt is removed, whatever it is- becomes clean automatically. When people talk about peace, there are many ideas.
The peace that I'm talking about, is the inate peace that lies in the heart of every single human being. So people say, "How come I don't feel it, see it, don't know about it?" Ah, the cleaning! There are too many things between the purity of human being and everything else. The process of peace is to take away all that exist between human beings. Not add things, but to take away. And it is very easy. You see, it is very easy to gain weight, but lose weight. Very easy to lose money, very hard to gain it. Not everything has the same rule.
I say to the world, Don't be fooled by the glitter, by the progress what we think is. Because the mantra of people today is only one- What can I do! Light a lamp of hope in yourself. One of the things that is wonderful about the laughter, about the happiness and peace indeed, is that it is contagious. Spread this contagious feeling of peace!
I heard what the prisoners in Zonderwaters had to say to me- the comments. One of the comments that has stuck in my head- One inmate said, "I've been in prison for quite a while and I've never felt happy being in prison. But today, I did! I feel so full." When he said that, just one person. But when he said that, somehow it my 3 month tour worth it. Because a human being felt happiness that day. Peace is a necessity my friend, not a luxury. Maybe the time has come to start looking at this world in a new way. And it begins with all of us. One step at a time.
Thank you very much, and I hope the peace that is inside of you, illuminates.