THE MORE YOU SWEAT IN PEACE, THE LESS YOU BLEED IN WAR.

Mythology is ripe with lessons for humankind. Famous myths relating to the honest and hardworking Noah in the Holy Bible’s Old Testament to the righteous sage Manu in the Vishnu Purana - both, on receiving the ‘divine message’ that a ravaging flood was approaching to destroy the Earth, set to work. Both built humongous ships to preserve the flora and fauna of the planet along with the human species and survived the world-ending disaster. It was their ‘sweat’ that made them survive.

Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ explains the notions of ‘peace’ and ‘war’ as temporary and overlapping phases of the human condition. Peace is related to preparation to avoid or triumph over the imminent war, while war is related to the escalation of threatening difficulties that disrupt peace. Therefore, war is like a test of time and character that examines the principles of humanity that were honed during peace.

Global strategists and military generals of renowned stature have emphasized time and again the importance of evaluating and strategizing against one’s enemies. ‘Keep your foes closer than your friends,’ once said Napoleon -for only when you are aware of dangers, you will be ready to face them.

Sun Tzu in his ‘Art of War’ establishes the fact that rigorous training and perseverance during peace makes even the ‘weakest of men’ effective and lethal on the battlefield. Bismarck’s general Karl Von Clausewitz reiterates the quote and remarks that to ‘know your enemy’ is to ‘know yourself’ - your strengths and your weaknesses.

Sweating in peace is a favorable time for introspection and gathering resources. In ‘2 principe’, Niccola Machiavelli discusses that war is a ‘surprise’ which though should be avoided turns out to be ‘unavoidable’ under drastic circumstances. To minimize the ‘element of surprise,’ one must always ‘keep the bayonet’ close to one’s chest.

War is perceived to be an inevitability in the race for resources. War is a metaphor for grave difficulties and challenges that pushes an individual out of his/her comfort zone of ‘peace’ and imposes a competition for glory and survival. Therefore, the phase of ‘peace’ is not only a result of victory in the war but a cooling period before the subsequent ‘war’.

We must analyze the conception of ‘peace’ and ‘war’ as proverbs for daily opportunities for development and struggles that threaten them respectively. Kautilya in his ‘Arthashastra’ claims that regular military exercises, intensive taxation, and periodic checks on bureaucracy keep the economy healthy and in a ‘prolonged peace’ away from ‘war’.

Kamandaka’s ‘nitisara’ describes peace as a chronological space for political, economic, and social development that must be cherished by a subject population but must be equally dreaded by an established central authority, that is, the king. This is because the ‘state’ is an illusion that withers away by war and anarchy enter. This danger of anarchy tests the ‘ethos’ of a society which can only be developed during peace.

Our constitution is a prime example of sweating in peace to avoid bleeding in war. After the end of world war second, the Cabinet mission established the Indian constituent assembly with pan-Indian participation through representatives.

These representatives worked hard and held discussions and debates for over two long years to finally come up with a draft on 26th November 1949. It is the longest-written and most well-researched constitution of the world. It takes into account not only the structure of the polity but also the rights of the individual and the duties of the state along with the protection of the minorities and vulnerable groups.

Thus, while other countries slid into dictatorships and genocides after decolonization, as in Africa and South Asia, India underwent a peaceful transition of power to become the largest democracy in the world. All thanks to the sweat of our constitution makers and freedom fighters.

Peace is a time for data collection, analysis and rigorous application of permutations and combinations to achieve the best results. Take the example of ‘film-making’. It is only when the screenwriters research the subject, clinically develop the screenplay and the actors have their skills with the director who improvises and tries different methods of camerawork or lighting, does the film go on the floor. Additionally, the background work of location searching and finance scouting along with surveys on the likes and tastes of the target audience - all these make a film successful ultimately.

Economic planning is another example of John Maynard Keynes positing that a government must always hold an in-depth analysis of its consumers and the demand-supply chains to plan its economic policies. The Woodrow Wilson government ignored such a stand and had to suffer the economic depression and high unemployment later. The socialist state of Cuba took this into account in the 1960s and thus was relatively successful.

Learning from illustrations, examples, and mistakes of others is another ‘luxury’ of ‘peace’ to equip yourself in order to face the approaching struggles. That is the reason ‘case studies in fields of politics, economics, and even wars of history play a major role in preparing the poll strategists, economists, and military commanders of the future.

The census is a primary instrument by which all states monitor their governance. This ‘governance’ is not only an imperative for social development but a device to prevent losses in the face of future conflict. For example, the census of all coastal areas will give us raw data to organize and streamline the planning of Cyclone and Tsunami mitigation and rehabilitation.

Similarly, the vaccination of infants lets the healthy beginning of life be strengthened against imminent diseases. Thus, the health infrastructure of a country built during peaceful healthy periods can go a long way in reducing negatives during an epidemic or pandemic of large scale to the levels of Zika, Ebola, and Nippal.

Human psychology perceives ‘well-being’ as a state of perpetuity. We don’t understand the potential threats that may be looming every second. This can be seen in our attitude toward money, health, education, relationships, etc. All these domains need refurbishing and rejuvenation from time to time which can only be effectively done with a calm brain and not a battle-ready agitated one.

A student preparing for an examination can have two attitudes: one, to study just before the exam, or two, to study all year long before writing the exam. This clearly implies that in the former case, a high burden and volume of work will lead to detrimental results, unlike in the latter case where confidence and efficiency both are heightened to get desired results. His sweat in peace would pay off during the heat of the war-like situation of the exam.

Shadow Cabinet is a group of corresponding opposition leaders deputed according to portfolios of the Westminster Government of Britain. This system prepares these leaders during their time in opposition to their roles as future ministers in case of a regime change. This guarantees that the fruits of development continue even after a power struggle or election.

‘Sweat gives experience and knowledge, blood gives courage and reminder of mortality. Tears give humility and hope.’ Thus blood, sweat, and tears are by-products of toil and perseverance which - when developed in peace, help us to uphold their value during the war. They are remnants of glory and symbols of life, hence enhancing their significance through self-reflection, skill and hard work is the duty of every free denizen who values its indispensability.

A farmer is the epitome of sweat that enriches the land during peace. He knows the value of effort and conducive socio-economic and political conditions. It is his undying spirit that sows the seeds of labor and reaps the yield of life which goes on to empower villages, cities, states, nations, and the world. We must acknowledge this significance and try to imbibe in ourselves the will to work in peace to avoid fatality in war.