Panic, fear, and anxiety do not belong to the effort for peace. It may seem obvious, but many who fight against the dangers of world war are not only motivated by fear but even use fear to compel others to act. Fear is the most alluring force in the effort for peace. Stories about nuclear weapons and descriptions of what would happen if a nuclear war broke out are so terrifying that we easily succumb to the temptation to use this fear to make ourselves and others defenders of peace. (…) If the effort for peace is based on fear, it is not much different from the conduct of wars. Peacemakers may use different words than those used by warriors, but they speak the same language. They are trapped in the strategies of those against whom they want to fight.
There is nothing more important for the effort for peace than that it springs from a deep and undeniable experience of love. Only those who deeply believe that they are loved and rejoice in that love can become true makers of peace. For only the intimate certainty that we are loved allows us to freely look beyond the brink of death and to speak and act fearlessly in the interest of peace.
(Henri Nouwen /1932–1996/, Peacework, 1984)
