TV Channel

Paramahaṁsa Swāmī Maheśwarānanda, Excellencies, dear friends, draghi prijateli of Slovenia. I would like to read the message from Mr. Janez Drnovšek, President of the Republic of Slovenia. "Ladies and gentlemen, participants of the World Peace Summit, allow me to address you with words of hope for peace and prosperity in the world, and to express my support for realizing the idea of peace through personal commitment and by setting an example for others. I believe that meetings such as this are an important contribution to the awareness of the unity of mankind, the indivisibility of its fate, and its inherent interrelatedness. At this time, when modern communication tools make contacts between cultures and civilizations ever more direct, we are encountering new opportunities for the development of humanness. Yet, at the same time, we are facing new challenges that we can overcome only through joint efforts. An imbalanced technological progress ensures that one part of mankind enjoys a level of comfort beyond all comparison, while an unacceptably large number of people are still living in poverty and suffering hunger. Every day, 24,000 people die from famine-related causes. Such dimensions of human suffering should surely impel us to think about the changes that are within our reach and to put our humanitarian intents into practice through solidarity. Through the Millennium Goals established by the United Nations Organization, member countries have undertaken a commitment to lessen the evil taking the form of famine and to struggle jointly for a more balanced and righteous world. Much has already been done, but the challenge of much more remains. New approaches and a new level of commitment on the part of countries, non-governmental organizations, and individuals are required to ensure a decent life for many millions of underprivileged people. One way to initiate the necessary change is through new ways of mobilizing resources at the international or global level, which, if given sufficient support, will allow us to tackle the common global problems of the human race through joint global action. However, inertia, which revives and quite often even deepens the divide between people, can only be overcome through political will and courage. Yet this will and courage to carry out the necessary changes can be and ought to be found first of all and above all in ourselves. Allow me therefore to close with a quote from Mahātmā Gandhi: 'Be the change you want to see.'"