Ideology of Peace
Foreword
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extends to all of humanity. It has positive value in
the full sense of the word. My pacifism is an
absolute good, it has the status of a summum
bonum for me. It is not simply a theory. It is a part
of my flesh and blood. It is the pain of my heart. It is
my life. It is the voice of my soul. I have watered the
plant of peace with my tears. I have lived for the
cause of peace for the whole of my life and I finally
want to die for the cause of peace.
The public phase of my peace mission started on
28 February, 1955, when a public meeting was held
in the historic city of Lucknow. I made a speech on
that occasion, which began with these words: “We
stand at the threshold of a new era. Future
historians will call it the atomic age, but perhaps no
historian will survive to tell the tale of the
destruction of humanity.” This speech was
published in 1955 in the form of a pamphlet titled:
On the Threshold of a New Era.
After the Second World War, the succeeding half-
century had cast a gloom upon it by the danger of
atomic war. However, it is a matter of great
satisfaction that we have now stepped into the
