The Discovery
Peace is the breath of our spirit.
It wells up from within the depths of our being to refresh, to heal, to inspire.
Peace is our birthright.
Its eternal presence exists within us as a memory of where we have come from and as a vision of where we yearn to go.
Linus Pauling
Our world is in the midst of change.
Science and peace are related. The world has been greatly changed, especially during the last century, by the discoveries of scientists. Our increased knowledge now provides the possibility of eliminating poverty and starvation, of decreasing significantly the suffering caused by disease, of using the resources of the world effectively for the benefit of humanity. But the greatest of all the changes has been in the nature of war, the several million fold increase in the power of explosives, and corresponding changes in methods of delivery of bombs.
These changes have resulted from the discoveries of scientists, and during the last two decades scientists have taken a leading part in bringing them to the attention of their fellow human beings and in urging that vigorous action be taken to prevent the use of the new weapons and to abolish war from the world.
For millennia, we have contemplated, reasoned, and practiced the idea of peace. Yet the capacity to sustain peace eludes us.
We, you and I are privileged to be alive during this extraordinary age. This unique epic in the world. The epoch of demarcation between the past millennia of war and suffering and the future, the great future of peace, justice, morality and human well-being.
continues