Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness

Hear now the words of wisdom spoken long ago by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the soldier who became a shepherd of nations: “Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.” In this utterance lies the eternal balance between the sword and the spirit. Force may shield the body for a moment, yet it is the gentler virtues—justice, fairness, consideration, and cooperation—that guard the soul of humanity for all ages. For the strength of armies may win a day, but the strength of righteousness alone may win eternity.

When Eisenhower spoke, he was no stranger to the clash of iron. He had seen the world aflame in the Second World War, had commanded men in the storm of Normandy, and had witnessed the ruin of cities under the weight of conflict. Yet from those fields of fire, he discerned a deeper truth: that force is but the guardian of the night, a temporary shield against chaos, while only justice and fairness are the heralds of the true dawn. He knew that swords may open doors, but only compassion and cooperation can keep them open.

Recall, O listener, the tale of the postwar world. After the fury of war subsided, the victors might have chosen vengeance and domination. Yet wiser voices prevailed, and through instruments such as the Marshall Plan, former enemies were lifted up rather than crushed. Germany and Japan, once foes, were rebuilt with aid and guidance, and in time became partners in peace. This stands as living proof that consideration and cooperation triumph where bitterness would only sow new wars. A seed of fairness bore fruit more enduring than the strongest fortress.

Imagine, too, the contrary. Where justice is denied, where fairness is forgotten, the embers of resentment smolder until they blaze anew. History tells us of peace treaties written in anger, where the vanquished were left humiliated and broken, as after the First World War. The Treaty of Versailles, though it ended conflict for a season, sowed the soil with bitterness, birthing future strife. Force without fairness is but a truce with hatred; it cannot bind the human heart.

Therefore, the lesson is clear: in moments of crisis, force may be necessary, but it is never sufficient. Like a storm shelter, it protects for the night, but cannot bring the morning. Only when men and women commit themselves to justice, to seeing the dignity of their fellow beings; to fairness, in weighing not only their own good but the good of others; to consideration, in listening with patience; and to cooperation, in laboring side by side, can the world step into the radiance of lasting peace.

And what then shall the individual do, you who now hear these words? Begin in your daily life the very work Eisenhower proclaimed. In your dealings, let justice guide you—seek what is right, not merely what is profitable. Let fairness temper your speech and your judgments—do not take more than your share, nor scorn the voice of the weak. Let consideration soften your heart—pause to hear, to understand, to uplift. And let cooperation be your path—join hands in tasks great and small, knowing that harmony multiplies strength where division diminishes it.

If these virtues can dwell within families, within communities, and within nations, then peace shall not be a dream distant and fragile, but a dawn rising eternal. For it is not the sword alone, but the spirit joined with kindness, that builds a world unshaken by fear. Take these words, therefore, not as relics of an old general’s speech, but as a commandment to your generation: live by justice, walk in fairness, speak with consideration, and labor in cooperation. Thus shall you, too, help lead mankind to the dawn that Eisenhower glimpsed.