Mudassir Hossain Khan, Bir Protik

I am no Martin Luther King Jr, but I, too, have a dream.

I strongly believe that a peaceful world is not an illusion or absurdity, but an achievable reality—albeit a complex and difficult task. What is needed is a change by leaders in every field, all across the planet. The onslaught of Covid-19 has exposed the futilities of mammoth war machines that only help generate rivalries and hatred, offering no solution to basic human needs, while at the same time demonstrating the immense benefits that can be accrued through cooperation, friendship, and fraternity, needing only a microscopic portion of the amount spent on the killing machines.

The pandemic has also proven, beyond doubt, the indispensability of interdependence, irrespective of the power and wealth of an individual or a nation. While the weak need the help of the rich and powerful in uplifting their conditions, the latter also need the support of the former in maintaining their economic prosperity. My question to both sides is: Why do you have to resort to conflict and hostilities to realise your objectives? Why can't we achieve our goals peacefully, through dialogues, negotiations, and compromise?

Wouldn't it be worthwhile to make an honest and united effort to strive for peace? What good is it to speak of peace, when the world gets pushed towards inescapable destruction, and we run the risk of destroying our own species?

It is my view that we can organise movements for peace with passion and love at every level: individual, family, community, national, and international. Let's dedicate more time, effort, and resources to restore peace. It's not reasonable to conclude that we cannot secure peace when the whole of mankind wants it deep in heart.

True, the world has witnessed devastation caused by monsters in the garb of humans, like Genghis Khan, Hitler, Mussolini, and, of course, the brutal colonial powers. But we have also been blessed with a greater number of saintly and benevolent souls, like Prophet Muhammad, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela.

I am making a fervent appeal to people all over the world, especially world leaders, to come forward and say "No" to hatred, violence, genocide, and war, and say "Yes" to harmony, conciliation, love, and peace. Let us work together for freedom and peace as we can never separate peace from freedom.

I conclude with a quote by one of the greatest minds the world has ever seen, Albert Einstein: "The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of some people who are evil, but because of people who don't do anything about it." With due respect to Einstein, it's time we proved him wrong.