"What to do when we have lost hope? Is hope something to rediscover or to build? Can one person truly make a difference? How do we maintain our optimism when the world seems to be falling apart around us?"
Ikeda reminds us that hope is not a simple thing, nor is it synonymous with passive acceptance of injustices. These essays invite us to open our eyes to the profound and courageous determination of those who make hope a decision, they invite us to an inner search that leads us to change the world around us. Having witnessed many difficult realities, he reiterates that life goes on and that the light of hope can emerge even from the darkest places.
The renowned Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda spent his life pondering such questions. In this collection of very personal essays, selected from his writings spanning approximately fifty years, he guides the reader on a journey that aims to rediscover the answers and hope needed to live in this challenging era.
Raised as a child of war, Ikeda tells us about the experiences that led him to his tireless pursuit of peace: his home engulfed in flames during the bombing of Tokyo at the end of World War II, the death of his older brother on the Burmese front, the sight of an American airman who had parachuted from his damaged plane.
Ikeda's precise reflections on terrorism, good and evil, aging, and death offer us new opportunities to view the world with hope. His emotionally charged words tell us about the poetic spirit and friendship, which can be sources of hope in the darkest moments.
Each essay provides an opportunity for the reader to look within themselves for the strength, courage, and hope needed to fuel the collective desire for a just and peaceful society.
If we don't feel hope, it's time to create it. Daisaku Ikeda
