If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a

Hear the immortal words of Bayard Rustin, the strategist of justice and disciple of nonviolence: “If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.” In this declaration lies a wisdom that speaks across centuries: the seeds we sow are the fruits we shall reap. We cannot build one world with the tools of its opposite. Violence cannot yield peace, hatred cannot yield equality, and tyranny cannot yield democracy.

The ancients taught this truth in parable and proverb. The wise Confucius declared that justice and harmony cannot arise from cruelty, for cruelty multiplies itself. The Buddha proclaimed that hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love. And Christ himself said that those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Rustin’s words echo this eternal chorus: the means must be as pure as the ends we desire, for the path shapes the destination, and the road walked is as important as the place reached.

Consider the example of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Martin Luther King Jr., guided by Rustin and others, chose nonviolence as the weapon of justice. Though beaten, jailed, and scorned, they refused to answer hatred with hatred. Their marches were disciplined, their songs full of hope, their demands rooted in dignity. And though violence raged around them, they transformed the conscience of a nation. Here is Rustin’s truth embodied: only by walking in peace did they carve a road toward a society of peace. Had they chosen violence, the cycle of blood would have drowned their dream.

And think also of India under Gandhi, where the chains of empire were broken not by armies, but by marches, boycotts, and the quiet strength of millions who refused to yield to fear. Gandhi taught that the means are everything, for they form the very soul of the struggle. A peaceful end cannot be born from violent means, for violence corrupts the heart of the victor as well as the vanquished. Rustin, who learned from this legacy, carried the torch of this wisdom into his own land.

Yet, the temptation remains strong in every age. There are those who say, “Let us fight fire with fire, discrimination with discrimination, tyranny with tyranny.” But this is folly, for in imitating the oppressor, we become what we despise. Rustin’s warning is clear: a society without prejudice cannot be born from prejudice; a free society cannot be born from domination. The path of justice is narrow, and it demands discipline, patience, and faith that the good, though slower to triumph, will endure more surely than the fleeting victory of violence.

The lesson for us, then, is to live by the consistency of means and ends. In your daily walk, if you long for peace, practice peace in your speech and actions. If you long for equality, treat every soul with dignity. If you long for freedom, do not deny it to others, even your enemies. Each act of kindness, each refusal to retaliate with cruelty, each steadfast commitment to fairness, is a stone laid in the foundation of the society we hope to build.

Therefore, O listener, carry Rustin’s wisdom as a commandment for your time: “Democracy must become a means as well as an end.” Do not be deceived into believing that noble ends justify corrupt means, for corruption begets only corruption. Let your struggle be as pure as your dream, and your journey as just as your destination. For only then will the peace you seek endure, the equality you long for blossom, and the freedom you desire stand unshaken through the ages.

And so let these words be passed on like sacred fire: if you desire peace, live in peace; if you desire equality, live in justice; if you desire freedom, walk in freedom. For the way we walk today is the world our children will inherit tomorrow. Rustin’s voice is the voice of history itself: the path and the destination must be one.