7 Billion Reasons for Peace (2012 Award Presentation in Malaysia)

His Royal Highness Raja Dr Nazrin Shah Ibni Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah,
The Regent of Perak Darul Ridzuan.
Your Royal Highness, your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me
great pleasure to welcome you here today for this very special event entitled,
Seven Billion Reasons for Peace.
My name is Ann Edwards, and it is my honor to be your MC today.
The purpose of today's function is twofold. To celebrate the importance of peace and
International Peace Day with insights from our distinguished speakers.
And, to confer upon our keynote speaker, Mr. Prem Rawat,
a BrandLaureate International Lifetime Achievement Award.
Please join me in welcoming Mr. Prem Rawat.
Your Royal Highness, Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
To me, it's an effort of a lifetime, not one day.
I don't really think in terms of retirement.
So for me, it is something that I have been doing since I was a little boy.
But I am so privileged to be here,
and to be in this wonderful company of people who are interested in peace.
Today, we talk about peace
And many people have already come to the conclusion
that it is impossible, it cannot happen.
Maybe we're looking for peace in the wrong place.
That the peace, indeed, has to begin with us.
People have already decided, there's too much greed in this world.
And is there? Of course there is.
Where is human being in the whole equation?
Thrown out! Not required! Not wanted. Too trivial.
I see seven billion faces crying for peace.
If anybody in this world
has a question as to what the seven billion people on this earth want,
I have an answer for them.
I have an answer for them. They want peace!
Because they know, once they have peace, prosperity follows.
Can't help it. Prosperity shows up.
And this is what people want.
I've seen it in their faces. This is why it is important to me,
to go country to country, to go village to village and look at the eyes of the people.
And know what they want.
In a sense, should we be having peace conferences?
Should we have all these institutions for peace?
I mean, there is no organization called Wear Warm Clothes in Winter Foundation.
Is there? Drink Water When Thirsty Foundation.
Sit Down When Tired Foundation. Go to Sleep When Sleepy Foundation.
I don't see any difference. Peace is fundamental.
And that's how fundamental I see peace.
When you are hungry, where does your focus go to?
Food!
Why? Have you ever sat down and wondered
at the mystery of why you think of food when you are hungry?
I mean don't you think we should have a debate on this subject?
Why do you think of water when you're thirsty?
Why?
Because that is your fundamental calling.
Need for peace is a fundamental calling. Not a luxury.
Not a luxury.
It is not an option. It is considered an option.
We have to learn how to give, how to take.
And this boils down to one thing that I was thinking about, coming here.
Each one of us can create a little bit of heaven.
And if we pledge, not only for creating
a little bit of heaven for ourselves, but a little bit of a heaven
for the people we love. At least, begin with that, our family.
Can father create a little bit of heaven for his son?
Can a husband create a little bit of heaven for his wife?
Can the wife create a little bit of heaven... a little bit of heaven,
for their children. And children, creating a little bit of heaven for their parents.
And a neighbor, creating a little bit of heaven for his neighbor.
Not big. Not giant.
But just a little bit of heaven,
little bit of heaven.
Then I know,
we wouldn't be looking towards heaven after death,
but enjoying it whilst we are alive, on this earth.
This is about peace. Peace is about heaven, on earth.
Peace is about good times.
Peace is about enjoying life.
Peace is about not destruction, but construction.
Our dividing lines, believe it or not, are the very things that are supposed to unite us.
They now divide us.
How can this be?
Can you imagine a glue that undoes?
Call it anything else but a glue!
What, what is our division?
You speak Hindi.
You speak English.
And I say, "But you say the same things. In Hindi, or in English."
We say the same things!
I love you. I hate you. It doesn't matter what language it is.
You are so-and-so. You are so-and-so.
Give me food. Give me water.
And everybody has it. Eh!
No. Yes. Good, bad. Right, wrong.
We say the same thing, but we say, Oh, language!
You speak a different language, you're different. No, you're not!
I'm glad we speak differently.
These are not the dividing lines that should be.
But we should be unified in the understanding of peace.
Because, peace is possible.
Why, peace is possible?
Why peace is possible? Because it begins with each one of us.
It is time to practice peace. It is time to practice consciousness.
It is time to practice kindness. It is time to practice embracing each other.
And then, maybe,
by the grace of God,
there will be peace on this earth. I hope so.
Because the time has come.
It is time, not to pretend to be intelligent, but to be intelligent.
It is time, not to pretend to like peace, but to like peace.
It is time, not to pretend to have peace, but to have peace.
Thank you very much.
It is now my pleasure to welcome to the podium
the President of the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation,
Dr KKJohan, for the presentation of the BrandLaureate International
Lifetime Achievement Award. Please welcome Dr KKJohan.
This morning, as I stand here, I'm very honored and humbled.
Mr. Prem Rawat did not just win the award,
he earns the award. He is most deserving, and worthy of awe.
Mr. Prem Rawat, you have given so much.
You have done so much for us. You have so sacrificially given your
life and your all, in promoting peace to the world.
Your message of peace has inspired, has impacted, and has influenced the lives of millions of
people around the world. And for that, from the depths of my heart, and our people,
we want to say, thank you, "terima kasih, Hokkien, nandri," to you.
Yes! Peace is a goal we can never let out of our sight. We can never take it for granted.
Peace is the reason for our existence and our coexistence with one another in this world.
That's right, ladies and gentlemen. We must all support and say yes to peace,
as long as we live on this earth.
Let me, allow me just to tell you a little bit about who we are. The Asia Pacific Brands
Foundation, APBF, is the world's first and foremost branding foundation.
Through our works, we honor statesmen, leaders, and captains of industries, who have achieved great eminence
for their contribution to the development of their countries, organization,
and the world at large. They are visionaries and catalysts of change, defining and
benchmarking the standards of thoughts and excellence.
Among these personalities and leaders we have bestowed this award to, are,
the late Steve Jobs, Sir Cliff Richards, Sir John Madejsky, Lord Digby Jones, Dr. Philip Kotler,
Dr. Edward De Bono, Nobel Prize Winner, Professor Dr. Robert Fry Engle, Professor Dr. Ferid Murad,
and many, many more. Please log on to our website for more information, www.thebrandlaureate.com.
As to date, there are only four who have attained the highest honor of the BrandLaureate
Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award. They are, his Excellency, Nelson Mandela,
U.S. Secretary of State, Senator Hillary Clinton, the past President of Austria, Heinz Fischer,
and His Excellency, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
I'm very proud, as the President of the Foundation today, adding to this esteemed list
is another great man, the Honorable Maharaji, Prem Rawat.
Mr. Prem Rawat has used his brand, he is a brand, as a force for good.
As someone who does not compromise on his principle, displayed tremendous resilience
against pressure, and ultimately, puts the needs of humans and humanity first, Prem Rawat
is a man who is worthy of anyone's admiration, and truly a guiding light for peace and humanity.
His immense contribution in championing and promoting global peace, for believing in peace
on earth, and peace for everyone, for teaching us that peace is possible,
and to give peace a chance.
On this note, ladies and gentlemen, the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation is so pleased and
proud to confer to the one who is so deserving, the BrandLaureate Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award,
to this honorable, legendary, the one and only,
Maharaji Prem Rawat, The Ambassador of Peace!
We would like to invite His Royal Highness,
Raja Dr Nazrin Shah Ibni Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah,
The Regent of Perak Darul Ridzuan, to present the award.
It gives me great pleasure to invite Mr. Prem Rawat, to receive the
BrandLaureate International Lifetime Achievement Award!
Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I am very touched by the whole ceremony today.
And, of course, the possibility of His Royal Highness to be here, and all the Excellencies,
and distinguished guests.
I accept this, not only just for me,
but for every single voice that stands for peace on the face of this earth.
I am but just one little voice.
My voice becomes big when all the other voices join me
in this song for peace.
This award, being presented in the field of peace,
is for all those voices that have stood for peace in the past,
and will stand for peace in the future,
till peace becomes a reality.
So, thank you again. Thank you very much.