The pursuit of peace and progress cannot end in a few years in

The words of Dag Hammarskjöld — “The pursuit of peace and progress cannot end in a few years in either victory or defeat. The pursuit of peace and progress, with its trials and its errors, its successes and its setbacks, can never be relaxed and never abandoned.” — flow like a solemn oath carved into the stones of time. In them, we hear the voice of a man who bore the weight of nations, a man who as Secretary-General of the United Nations gave his life in service to the fragile hope of humanity. His teaching reminds us that the quest for peace is not a campaign with banners that rise and fall in a season, but an eternal pilgrimage of the human spirit, marked not by endings, but by unending striving.

The wisdom here lies in the contrast between war and peace. Wars are measured in victories and defeats, in battles won or lost, in treaties signed. But peace is not such a thing. It is not achieved once and for all, like a fortress stormed or a crown seized. It must be nurtured daily, like a fire that must be tended, or a garden that must be weeded. Hammarskjöld warns us: if ever we grow weary, if ever we lay down the tools of reconciliation, then the weeds of hatred will rise again, and the fire will flicker into darkness.

History reveals the truth of his words. After the Great War, the victors declared it the “war to end all wars.” But within a generation, the world was engulfed again in the flames of a second, even greater conflict. Why? Because nations treated peace as though it were a prize, won once and secured forever, rather than a labor demanding vigilance. It was only after the Second World War, and through institutions like the United Nations which Hammarskjöld himself served, that humanity began to understand: the pursuit of peace is endless, and it requires humility, patience, and endurance across centuries.

Consider also the civil rights movement in America. Great victories were won — the abolition of segregation, the recognition of rights. Yet those who walked with Martin Luther King Jr. knew that these triumphs were not the end, but the beginning. Every generation must take up the same pursuit: to guard against injustice, to push further toward equality, to continue the struggle for true dignity. Just as Hammarskjöld said, it is a path of successes and setbacks, a labor that must never be relaxed, never abandoned.

The quote also speaks to the inner life of the soul. Within each person lies the same conflict. To cultivate inner peace and personal progress is not the work of a day, nor the achievement of a single victory over temptation or anger. It is the discipline of a lifetime. We stumble, we rise, we falter, we advance. Yet if we abandon the pursuit, we fall into despair. Hammarskjöld’s wisdom is both for nations and for individuals: endure, persist, labor, for the work of peace within and without never ends.

The lesson is clear: do not seek to declare victory in the pursuit of peace and progress, nor despair when you meet defeat. Both are illusions. The true path is perseverance — the daily work of reconciling enemies, of lifting the poor, of educating the young, of healing divisions, of guarding the conscience of the world. These labors may never be complete, but they are holy, and they are the measure of our humanity.

Practical action follows. In your life, commit to the long road. Work for peace in your family, your community, your nation, knowing there will be triumphs and disappointments. Do not grow weary when setbacks come; expect them, and endure them. Cultivate patience, for the work is endless, and rejoice in small victories without imagining they are the final end. As Hammarskjöld himself showed with his life, even if the labor costs you everything, it is labor worth giving, for it is the labor that binds the generations together in hope.

So remember, child of tomorrow: peace and progress are not prizes to be won, but paths to be walked without ceasing. Never relax your hand, never abandon the journey. For though the road is arduous and unending, it is the only road that leads humanity from darkness into light. This is the legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld — a call not to rest, but to strive eternally for the highest of human dreams.