In your opinion, is peace a distant dream? Is it because there are 7 billion people in the world population and you feel that you’re just a tiny individual and you would question yourself what you could actually do? Actually, when we start from ourselves, the people around us will also change and further will enable a change in the destiny of the country and the entire world.

Riding on the bus of history back to the atrocious times of World War II, the scene was so horrible that it is unbearable to even recall. During those times, Japan lacked in supplies and all the people lived a very miserable life due to Japan’s tenacious opposition towards America’s strong attacks. After the air strikes, some of the buildings collapsed, there are bullet holes everywhere and ruins as far and wide as the eyes could see. As long as the alarm warning sounds, everyone will run for their lives into a bomb shelter. Were you ever confused or have you ever ask yourselves whether you are living at home or in a bomb shelter?

Majority of the food have to be sent to the front lines for the soldiers to eat. Here you could actually imagine how food deprived the people were then, what more to mention sustaining a balanced diet. In this situation, everyone lose their morale, the whole country was shrouded with death and depressive atmosphere is everywhere. Besides sacrificing the lives of thousands and millions of promising youths, a lot of people had to cope with the pain of losing their beloved family members. Who said that war could bring peace? Who attained happiness as a result of war? For this reason, we must vindicate that war should never take place because there are no other losses greater than the one war caused.

For the first time in human history, the first ever invention of atomic bomb hit Hiroshima Japan, more than ten thousand people killed in an instant. Those precious lives! Isn’t this an act of flattening humankind, killing one another? Is life like a game? The most miserable thing is the nuclear radiation from the atomic bomb which brings about high chemical radiation, so high that even after decades of time cannot be eliminated. The radiation highly affected the local people’s health making them more susceptible to various kinds of illness; even pregnant woman couldn’t escape from the catastrophe as most of the babies born are deformed.

All these arise because the leaders don’t have the correct thoughts and philosophies and that they are unable to make correct judgement, thus leading the happiness of the entire country destroyed in an instant. So who will be the leaders of the future if it weren’t our cute and lively Junior Division members? Hence, we as Junior Division’s PIC should start to implement and educate them on the importance human rights, peace as well as the horrors of war to them to let them understand that they too can contribute their part towards world peace.

I believe everyone cherishes the ideals of building a culture of peace. ‘Culture of peace’ is a complete set of values, attitudes, modes of behavior and ways of life that rejects violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations.


First of all, we must believe that world peace can be realized through conveying the messages of peace and expanding the power of good.  Dialogue and establishing friendship is absolutely indispensable. Through dialogue, mutual understanding and trust can be achieved among people, establishing the ties for peace and from there further expands peace. Regardless of whether it is the opinions of relations between countries or matters on the world’s situation; mutual trust among people is the ‘basis’ for peace. Culture of peace gives people the opportunity to listen to one another’s difference and make full efforts to compensate and understand their differences with a positive and optimistic approach.

In addition to that, we must also put an end to thoughts or verbal abuses and not get angry easily wanting beat someone up just to vent our anger because this is considered as the violence of thought. Do you know that when we curse people with vulgar words, it’s called verbal abuse? All these ruins good relations among people and are also the stumbling blocks towards achieving everlasting peace.

When we start to engage in the ideals for peace, the children will also be influenced the same way, understanding the significance of ‘peace’ through our actions. With the correct values and outlook on life, we won’t be like the rootless leaves which disappeared without a trace when big winds blow. On the contrary, we could share Mr. Ikeda’s peace proposals and his contributions for the sake of peace to the children, inspiring them and encourage them to instinctively carry out and convey the message of peace with people around them. Eleanor Roosevelt once said: ‘For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.’

Since 1983, on behalf of the SGI, Mr. Ikeda annually issues annual peace proposals every 26th January, commemorating SGI Day. Many of the proposals were accepted and received many good responses and results.  Here we could see that Mr. Ikeda is a very determined leader applying the Mystic Law as the basis and with Buddhist wisdom, he was able to write such outstanding proposals.

If we do not implement the thoughts on peace, children will never believe in world peace thinking that it has nothing to do with them, and if that happens, leaders will once again take the path to disaster; repeating history. War destroys humanity’s civilized world and results in humanity moving backwards against the times where every step we take will be towards regression rather than advancing. Peace isn’t just Mr. Ikeda’s wish but it also the common wish of people all over the world, let us all take the lead to be among the first who sets foot towards the path for peace!

Labels: e. Words of mentor