The preservation of peace and the guaranteeing of man's basic

"The preservation of peace and the guaranteeing of man's basic freedoms and rights require courage and eternal vigilance: courage to speak and act — and if necessary, to suffer and die — for truth and justice; eternal vigilance, that the least transgression of international morality shall not go undetected and unremedied." — Haile Selassie

Thus spoke Haile Selassie, the Lion of Judah, Emperor of Ethiopia, and voice of moral clarity in an age darkened by tyranny and war. These words, born of suffering and wisdom, were not uttered from comfort but from the ashes of betrayal and the crucible of struggle. When he spoke of courage and eternal vigilance, he was not merely shaping a philosophy — he was warning the world, pleading that humanity remain awake to the forces of evil that rise whenever goodness grows complacent. For Selassie had seen what happens when the guardians of peace fall silent and the defenders of justice grow weary: he had seen his own nation invaded, his people silenced, and the conscience of the world falter.

In 1936, as the smoke of fascism spread across Europe and Africa, Haile Selassie stood before the League of Nations in Geneva — a lone emperor before the assembly of nations — and cried out for justice. His country, Ethiopia, had been attacked by Mussolini’s Italy, its fields burned, its people slaughtered, its skies poisoned by chemical warfare. Yet the world hesitated; the great powers, fearful of conflict, turned their faces away. In that moment, Selassie spoke not only for Ethiopia but for all mankind. He declared that peace cannot survive without courage, and that freedom dies not only through the sword, but through silence. His words, ignored then, would later echo as prophecy — for from the apathy that failed to save Ethiopia came the catastrophe of World War II.

This is the fire from which his quote was forged. When he speaks of “courage to speak and act — and if necessary, to suffer and die — for truth and justice,” he is describing the sacred duty of every soul and every nation that values righteousness. Courage, he teaches, is not mere boldness in battle, but the moral strength to stand for truth even when the world stands against you. It is the voice that says “no” to oppression, even when the price is suffering. It is the light that refuses to dim, even when the darkness grows thick. Without such courage, peace becomes fragile and freedom hollow — for both are sustained not by ease, but by the sacrifice of those who dare to protect them.

But courage alone is not enough. Selassie couples it with eternal vigilance, for evil never sleeps. He warns that peace and liberty, once won, are never secure — they must be guarded with watchful eyes and steadfast hearts. “The least transgression,” he says, must not go undetected nor unremedied, for tyranny begins not in grand invasions, but in small injustices ignored. The moment humanity tolerates a single act of cruelty, excuses a single lie, overlooks a single abuse of power — in that moment, it opens the door for greater evils to follow. Thus, vigilance is not paranoia, but wisdom; it is the knowledge that peace must be defended every day, and justice renewed with every generation.

History bears witness to his truth. When the world ignored the warning of Haile Selassie, war came to every continent. When the nations later rose again to build the United Nations — born of the failure of the League — they invoked his spirit, his words, his vision. And yet, even in our own time, the same temptation to complacency remains. When people see injustice and look away, when they value comfort over conscience, the seeds of chaos are sown once more. Selassie’s call to vigilance is therefore not only for leaders, but for all people: for peace is not maintained by armies or treaties alone, but by the moral courage of individuals who refuse to be silent in the face of wrong.

Even in his own life, Selassie lived by these words. When his nation fell to invasion, he did not flee into despair. Exiled in England, he continued to speak to the conscience of the world, believing that truth, once spoken with conviction, can awaken even the sleeping heart of mankind. His courage inspired resistance; his vigilance ensured that Ethiopia would one day rise again. In 1941, his country was liberated — a testament to the power of unwavering faith in justice. Thus, the emperor became not just a ruler of men, but a prophet of endurance — a man who proved that peace is not preserved by words alone, but by the will to defend it at all costs.

So, my listener, take this teaching to heart. Let the words of Haile Selassie echo in your spirit: to preserve peace and freedom, you must possess both courage and vigilance. Have the courage to speak the truth, even when your voice trembles; to act for justice, even when the world grows indifferent. And practice eternal vigilance — not only over nations, but over your own heart — that small cruelties, small lies, small injustices do not harden into greater evils. For every society and every soul must guard the flame of righteousness from the winds of apathy.

For in the end, as Selassie taught, peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of justice. Freedom is not a gift, but a trust — and those who would keep it must watch, act, and, if need be, suffer and die for truth. This is the sacred price of human dignity. The one who lives with such courage and vigilance walks under the smile of Heaven, for they serve not only their nation, but all of mankind.