“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
This famous quote was said, of course, by famous American reformer Martin Luther King Jr.
A few days ago, two global events took place on the same day: The International Day of Living Together in Peace, as declared by the UN on May 16 of each year, and the International Day of Light.
Choosing this particular date has an important reason that I will mention later in the body of this article.
Perhaps it was a clever numerical happenstance that associated peace with light, as if the philosophy of coincidence wanted to tell us that peace is light and life, while violence and bloodshed are darkness and destruction.
Because of the importance of peace and its inevitability for this planet destined for calamities and wars, and because of people’s fear of perishing and their feeling of lack of peace, another day was dedicated to peace on September 21 of each year – The International Day of Peace.
Actually, all days of the year should celebrate peace and reject wars, fighting, violence, bloodshed and hatred.
We must all remember that “Peace” is one of the names of God.
The International Day of Living in Peace is a global celebration approved by the UN to mobilize the efforts of the international community to promote tolerance, solidarity, understanding, interdependence and love.
It aims to affirm the desire of members of the international community to live together despite differences in order to build a world of peace, tranquility and civilization.
Living together in peace is accepting our differences and even considering “differences” a source of wonderful human wealth, because diversity represents God’s wisdom in His creation.
For if He willed, He would have made us one nation of the same color.
Peace begins with the ability to listen to and respect other opinions.
This day represents a call for countries to promote societal reconciliation, perpetuate peace and sustainable development, and encourage the instilling of values of tolerance and empathy among people.
We must remember that the birth of the UN in 1945 originally coincided with the international community’s desire to prevent wars, save future generations from the scourge of fighting and share the virtues of world peace after the scourge of the Second World War left the world devastated.
The Charter of the UN specified that the purpose of its establishment is to preserve international peace by taking effective collective measures to prevent and eliminate the causes of threatening peace, and to develop friendly relations between states based on respect for the principle of equal rights among human beings without discrimination against their race, sex, language or religion.
In 1952, Japan established a huge bell called the “Peace Bell.” The bell rings twice a year – once with the beginning of spring on March 21, and once on September 21 to celebrate the International Day of Peace.
The UNESCO set the “International Day of Light”, on May 16 of each year, in a beautiful coincidence with the International Day of Living Together in Peace, has a scientific background.
The event coincides with the first successful launch of laser beams, on May 16, 1960, by American physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman.
On this day, the world celebrates the importance of “light” in human life and the pivotal role it plays in the fields of science, culture, arts, education, sustainable development, medicine, communications, energy and technology.
One of UNESCO’s goals is to harness all of the above to lay the foundation for the creation of peaceful societies
We must remember that the industrial, technological, scientific, and informational revolution created by “light” was the result of centuries of continuous research on the study of the properties of light initiated by the genius Al-Hassan Ibn Al-Haytham.
This encyclopedic scientist provided humanity with important contributions and research in the fields of optics, physics, ophthalmology, visual perception and mathematics. Later, the discoveries of Albert Einstein about the nature of light forever changed the way we view time and space.
Look at the previous paragraph! It is the essence of peace. That the efforts and research of two great scientists: Ibn Al-Haytham with his “Kitab Al-Manazir” (The Book of Optics), written in 1011, and Einstein at the beginning of the twentieth century, would combine for the sake of human happiness and prosperity!
These two great scientists did not live at the same time, nor did they unite in one place, nor did they have the same beliefs, and yet the fruits of their brilliant minds are still feeding all of humanity until today and until the end of life through all the inventions and means of life we aspire for!
Think of the genius of the idea! This is the essence and fruit of peace. That we cooperate together as human beings, in righteousness and piety, and not in sin and aggression.
Let the motto and law of mankind be God the Most High’s saying: “O ye who believe! Enter into Islam/peace whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of Satan; for he is to you an avowed enemy,” and “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
May the whole world live in peace, civilization, science and work every year.
