In these days of private armies, nuclear war, widespread dissent fuelled by social media and terror scares across the world, a plan for peace that rises above the mere notions of victory and defeat comes as a blow to a society where success is measured entirely by material things. Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray’s book ‘Peace is Everybody’s Business’, that was 12 years in the making, was launched in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening, which hopes to break these arguably bestial ideas of the economy, progress and life itself. Gen. Ray drew inspiration from ‘Operation Sadbhavana’, which he launched in 1998, in an attempt at employing the Indian Army for the benefit of the people living in war-torn Kashmir.
“In a flat, complex, inter-connected world where there are growing economic insecurities, the government cannot manage everything for its citizens. Governance has nothing to do with government”, said Lt. Gen. Ray, outlining his book. “We are experiencing the lowest level of violence in human history”, he said. “War and prostitution are the oldest professions, but peace is a modern invention. This has been more palpable in the last 50 years” said Lt. Gen. Ray. With globalisation and technology reaching every corner of society, social media is fast turning into a limitless platform for dissent and agitators can make their voices heard.
“Horizontalism is the new leadership buzzword”, said Gen. Ray, referring to a breakdown of the hierarchy to which we have all been bound. “People today don’t want to talk to the Vice-President, they want to go straight to the CEO”, he explained. “Political power does not come out of the barrel of a gun. Social problems need to be eased out through negotiation, discussion and compromise. Women can play a big role in this, but sadly for them, the highest levels of leadership are still greatly dominated by men. Women understand peace better than men”, he said.