The Power of Hope

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Human history is marked by war, violence, oppression, and social exclusion, yet it is also defined by the enduring struggle for human rights and the commitment to solidarity and nonviolence. This work presents a dialogue between two prominent activists who explore how to create a world that prioritizes justice and human dignity. Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, an Argentinian human rights activist and 1980 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, played a crucial role in resisting military dictatorship, enduring arrest and torture under the regime. Daisaku Ikeda, a peacebuilder, Buddhist philosopher, and educator, is the founding president of Soka Gakkai International, the largest Buddhist lay organization. Their conversation weaves together personal experiences in the fight for human rights with broader reflections on making the Third Millennium a time of peace. The narrative includes vivid accounts of Latin America during the brutal military regimes of the 1970s, insights from Buddhism on meditation's role for activists, the vital contributions of women to nonviolence, and discussions on international geopolitics, the legacies of Hiroshima, and the challenges of globalization in eroding identities and ethical values.