Pilgrimage for Peace

'Si vis pacem, para bellum' – if you want peace, prepare for war is a Latin adage characteristic not only of the Roman Empire, but of every great power since that time up to present day US and China. Its premise is that humans are not to be trusted and the world is a dangerous place ruled by force and violence, so security is to be achieved through arms and the generation of fear in your enemy. This view is diametrically opposed to the nonviolent philosophy espoused in this remarkable book and captured in a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: 'There is no way to peace, peace is the way.'

The year is 1962. 25-year-old Satish and his friend EP Menon are discussing the fact that 90 year-old philosopher Bertrand Russell has spent a week in prison for taking part in a CND demonstration and refusing to sign a document that he would not do so again. What could they do? They came up with the ambitious idea of a walking peace pilgrimage from Delhi to Washington – 8,000 miles. The first person they consult is Vinoba Bhave, who tells them that the real problem is fear in people's hearts, fear of the other, and that peace must emerge out of love. He advises them to travel without money as peace begins with trust, and their vulnerability will open people's hearts in terms of generosity and care – which indeed, for the most part, proves to be the case. This will enable them to develop their soul power. 60 years on, the world is still run by force, so the message of nonviolence and peace is as imperative as ever. Moreover, the military has unlimited research funds to channel into science and technology with their mentality of foresight and control in the service of national security – all of which is kept in place by propaganda and fear.

Obtaining visas proved to be a problem on a number of occasions, including when setting out from India, but also in the USSR and the US. Satish and Menon are equipped with four Ms: a Message of peace, a Mission, a Method and finally the Media which generated considerable publicity on a number of occasions. The route takes them through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, the Soviet Union, East and West Germany, Belgium, France, England, the USA and finally Japan on the way back to India. The walk takes from May 1962 to September 1964, and they wear out eight pairs of shoes in the process. They experience many special places and events, receiving warm hospitality from peace groups along the way. However, they also encounter ordeals that test their resolve and resilience: sandstorms, blizzards, blisters, imprisonment in Paris, and nearly been shot by the manager of a segregated café in the US while trying to have a cup of coffee with our late mutual friend John Papworth. In Georgia, they are given four packets of 'Peace Tea' to deliver to the nuclear capitals. A priest in Smolensk tells them not to judge Christianity by the acts of Christians, but Christians by the touchstone of Christianity: 'It is Christians who have failed, not Christianity.' Ironically, only a few days later, a priest with the Bible in his hand shuts the door on them and refuses to give them shelter: 'I have no room for strangers.'

Along the way, they have many remarkable meetings. In Afghanistan, they meet the legendary Badshah Khan, who tells them that peace and nonviolence are the only way to establish harmony in the world, and that the seed of violence and war is fear and the desire to rule over others (I reviewed a book about his remarkable life quite recently). They have to spruce themselves up for the Shah of Persia, and make special trips to meet Lanza del Vasto and Bertrand Russell in Wales. Vasto reminds them that governments promote greed and exploitation, while the conversation with Russell focuses on war and patriotism. Both Russell and Einstein were supporters of world government, but John Papworth proposes a decentralised reduction in the size of nation states so as to reduce the access to expensive resources for weapons. They hear about the assassination of JFK on the boat from Southampton to New York, and have their most memorable encounter with Martin Luther King, who was assassinated by the same intelligence forces five years later. King tells them that action must emerge out of our being and that he is an extremist only in his commitment to love and nonviolence as complete philosophy, 'a process, not a product, a journey, not a destination.

Out of these many conversations and encounters emerges a powerful philosophy of peace: inner peace, social peace, and peace with nature. This is a worthy human calling for us all, and to which Satish has devoted his inspiring and energetic life. I urge you to read this book and make your own inner pilgrimage as you do so, re-committing yourself to the same human, social and ecological ideals, especially since our relationship with nature is now at the forefront in a way that was not the case 60 years ago. However, as Mikhael Gorbachev argued in his recent book reviewed in these pages, we are still under threat from nuclear weapons, and will be shortly from space weapons as the US and China vie for full spectrum dominance. Let us be mindful of the advice of the Russell – Einstein manifesto, also supported by Albert Schweitzer: "Remember your humanity, and forget the rest."