Jana Javakhishvili, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Institute of Addiction Studies

It is a great honor for me to have had the opportunity to light the Peace Candle in the Peace Cathedral.

If I draw on my professional knowledge, peace is distinguished as negative peace and positive peace. Negative peace exists when bombs are not falling on our heads. Positive peace exists when we are able to live freely and happily, when we have a state of well-being, mutual respect, and love within society.

Our homeland has many wounds. If someone were to ask us today whether we even have negative peace, the answer would be no – because every quarter, creeping occupation takes away our land and drives people from their homes. This has been going on for years, often without our awareness. There is no transparent information in our country about how many people are kidnapped each year. We have not yet been granted even negative peace.

As for positive peace, it remains a dream – the time when we will be able to live in such a way that no one in our society desires the disappearance of people who are different. It is so important that we care for one another and recognize each other’s worth. Unfortunately, we do not have this situation today. Today, the prevailing assumption is that the material well-being of a small group must come at the cost of the continued suffering and pain of society, and this is deeply tragic.

Irma spoke about “shalom,” and it reminded me that the Georgian greeting word, gamarjoba, which means “victory.” And perhaps this is the victory of good over evil. We must overcome evil in order to have peace.

What does this victory mean?

Perhaps each of us must personally overcome – so that we do not betray our values, so that we call things by their proper names. Today, the situation in our country is such that its most visible indicator is this: war is called peace; war against one’s own citizens is called peace. Betrayal of the country is called patriotism; hatred is called love. This is the most painful reality in our country – that even our language has lost its meaning.

Our victory will be to call black black and white white; to call what is multicolored multicolored, and to say that diversity is important. This will be our victory.

The situation in Georgia today is very difficult, and perhaps we do not fully grasp it. The situation in the world is not easy either. Perhaps we would have more support if the global situation were more orderly. In general, we are living in difficult times.

But even in difficult times, there are points of orientation. The great thinker of the last century, Viktor Frankl, who was imprisoned in a concentration camp and survived, survived because in those most difficult circumstances he did not betray his values; he did not betray himself; he did not betray his professional role. He gave us this wisdom: everything can be taken from a person except one last, inalienable freedom – the freedom not to betray one’s values.

I am deeply grateful to the Peace Cathedral for strengthening us in this. I wish you all true peace, my friends, and thank you very much for this honor.