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P. Jha: Address to World Summit 2017
Written by Rt. Hon. Parmanand Jha, Vice President (2008-2015), Nepal
Friday, February 3, 2017
Address to World Summit 2017, Seoul, Korea, February 1 to 5, 2017
In 2010, I visited Korea and personally met the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. During my time here in his homeland, I realized that the central focus of his quest for peace lies, first and foremost, in rebuilding the family. When families are healthy and full of love, then peace can be established naturally in societies, nations and the world.
Peace, security and human development are interrelated issues. We have gathered here to discover new ways to realize lasting peace. Even though Nepal recently went through a period of violence, we have the legacy of a culture of peace. After all, this is the country where Lord Buddha was born.
From our viewpoint, peace is having a feeling of equality in our hearts toward all people, without any feeling of discrimination based on age, gender, religion or wealth. Peace is treating everyone with love and respect.
To realize this, we need to first create peace in our mind, in our behavior and in our environment. Then, peace can prevail in our families, societies, nations and world.
Security is essential for peace. Security means to be protected or not exposed to danger. Parents protect their children. The army protects the borders of a nation. Police protect citizens. Businesses protect a nation’s wealth and ensure the fair distribution of profits. Parliamentarians must protect the laws and legal institutions of a nation.
Although peace needs to be realized first in the individual, it must not stop there. Peace must be brought into family relationships, then it creates harmonious communities and becomes the fiber of our nations. On this foundation, peace can be realized throughout the world. But peace begins within us and in our families. This is the key. Collectively, we are all peacemakers.
Unfortunately, Nepal is still developing. The main reason is there is a feeling of insecurity in the country, and this has led to the lack of development. Hopefully, we will conclude our peace process soon. To facilitate this, we will need to further enhance security and strengthen political stability in our country.
The challenge is more complicated because we must also fully implement our new constitution. But, without peace and security, we cannot even think about development and democracy. Sadly, I feel human development in our country is still just over the horizon.
Two thousand five hundred years ago, Buddha, the apostle of peace, taught us, “Cut the love of self (and) develop the path of peace.” This still remains true today. Uncontrolled selfishness is the breeding ground for conflict, division and hatred at every level of society. This is why the family is so important; it is where we learn to live unselfishly.
I am confident that this World Summit and Global Assembly of parliamentarians will achieve their goals. Surely the deliberations and the insights gained from them will be milestones for enhancing peace, prosperity, security and development throughout the world.
Peace and spirituality go together side by side. Therefore, from today onwards we must be both spiritual and merciful. In the present scenario of conflicts and disputes around the globe, this World Summit will have specific importance.
Rt. Hon. Parmanand Jha, Vice President (2008-2015), Nepal
Rt. Hon. Parmanand Jha is a first Vice President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. On July 19, 2008, he was elected as Vice-President of Nepal by the Constituent Assembly and Legislature Parliament of Nepal and served till October 31st, 2015. Previously he served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Nepal. Having wide experience in the field of law and justice.
To go to the 2017 World Summit Conference Schedule, click here.