It has been rightly observed that all violence is born in the mind, and that it can be terminated in the mind itself. For instance, during the Second World War, Japan was burning to revenge itself on America. Japanese said that America had devastated their town of Hiroshima, so they would devastate America. Although Japan’s air force had been badly hit, its army was still intact, and its officers were bent on vengeance. At that juncture certain intellectuals in Japan pointed out that if America had destroyed Hiroshima, they had already destroyed America’s Pearl Harbour. In this way they were at par. The score was even.

Due to this timely guidance, the Japanese came to rethink their position, and, abandoning the path of confrontation with America, opted instead for the path of adjustment with it. In so doing, they were tremendously successful. So was the case of Germany. Germany lost one-third of its land after WWII. It then began its economic planning on the basis of the land that had remained with it and, later on, emerged very successful.

The truth is that intellectual awakening is the only way to produce a nonviolent world. This is, without doubt, a long and laborious struggle. But we have no other alternative. Violence is the result of misguided thinking. The day you succeed in putting an end to such thought, violence will disappear on its own.

We can learn many lessons from history if we open our minds and seek to learn from them.