This is not the peace that Ukrainians need alone, Archbishop Viilma went on.

In order for this to be our own personal peace in Estonia too, we will have to start transforming ourselves.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 9:11, ESV).

Fifty-five years ago, on Midsummer's Day, June 24, 1969, Ernst Jaakson, the consul General of the occupied Republic of Estonia, based in New York, sent a letter, in English, in a format which bore the Estonian national coat of arms. The content boiled down to one sentence: "The people of Estonia join those who hope and work for freedom and a better world."

Just one day before, Ernst Jaakson had received a letter from NASA, asking the leaders of his country to ask for a message that US astronauts could take with them to the Moon. As the official representative of the Republic of Estonia, which for many had been wiped off the map and lived on only in memories, Ernst Jaakson himself prepared the corresponding message.

Hardly a month later, on July 21, 1969, the first human being took a small step on to the surface of the Moon.

The crew of Apollo 11 also brought a hopeful message from the representative of the Republic of Estonia, one of 73 countries to do so.

The statements of the leaders of all the countries involved are engraved in microscopic writing on a small silicon disc, which, together with addresses from four US presidents, still lies sealed in an aluminum case on the surface of the Moon, on the southwestern portion of the Sea of ​​Tranquility – more precisely the spot at which where astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon, 55 years ago this year.

I remain in awe of Ernst Jaakson's optimism and faith in a better future.

Keeping alive the continuity of the independence of the Republic of Estonia in exile under conditions of decades of occupation, he counted Estonians among those people of the world who wholeheartedly value and love freedom, with their message, that reached the Moon.

It is a delight to note that after the decade-long annexation of Crimea, and two years since the start of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, Estonians are still among the nations that value freedom and stand up for that too.

Paraphrasing the well-known saying "If you want peace, prepare for war"" (Si vis pacem, para bellum ), we seem to have reached the situation where it might better be recast vice versa: "if you desire peace, make war." 

However, this makes me, and many others, increasingly uneasy, as we have become part of a frenetic arms race, based on the principle that of a smaller preventive war heading off a larger war. We are, in fact, at the very epicenter of a new cold war.

Paradoxically, the situation is absurd, as the only viable method for achieving peace is to acquire even more weapons and provide for even larger sums in the state budget. I don't like being aware that I'm morally complicit in arms deals when I start paying new or higher taxes. However, while I wish we could operate under certain conditions on the principle of "if you desire peace, make peace."  I am still willing to pay the requested tax.

Christians believe that wars are caused by misguided people. The prophet Jeremiah conveys God's thoughts (Jeremiah 29:11, see above). The mind of the Creator has peace, and not thoughts of calamity, to bring us a future, with hope.

In the Estonian churches, hope has not been lost, and prayers for the peace of both Estonia and Ukraine have not ceased. I have also asked my school students to write prayers when thinking about Estonia's birthday. A young man in the final grade of elementary school wrote: "Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for Estonia. I ask that you protect Estonia and bring reason to the country's leaders. I thank you for the beautiful nature. My plea is also: If war were to come to to Estonia, you would be here, and help those who need help."

World peace starts with strong and respectful relations between the leaders of the countries. Peace in a country begins by overcoming political differences, finding common ground and considering each other. Peace at home starts with trust, mutual understanding and love. So ultimately, peace in the world begins with love at home. If there is no peace, it means we have failed in love.

A journalist asked the renowned musician, actor, director and translator Peeter Volkonski, who celebrated his 70th birthday in September, which sins one should ask God for forgiveness about. Volkonski replied that the greatest sin is injustice. He added: "We all do wrong things. Most wrongdoing is done unconsciously, but you can also realize that you have consciously committed a wrongful act." Indeed, the greatest harm to a person's soul can be done by injustice, caused by a lack of empathy.

In the message for the beginning of Lent this year, I called for consideration, especially about our country and people in prayer, in order to place our present and future before God.

In order to do this together, the Estonian Council of Churches has dedicated this year to the prayer of Our Father. This year marks the 500th anniversary of the first writing of the Lord's Prayer in Estonian, as the Isa mede prayer, found in the Kullamaa Bible, which was compiled between 1524 and 1532. The Lord's Prayer, together with the Hail Mary Full of Grace, were those the first longer texts which merited at the time being written down in Estonian.

On Maundy Thursday this year (March 28 – ed), we invite the whole nation to pause their daily routine for a minute, at quarter of an hour before noon, to read the Lord's Prayer in thought or voice, alone, or with others. The words of the Lord's Prayer are common to all Christians, but are also familiar to many people who are nonetheless far from the church.

An act of repentance done with love and which is within everyone's reach is to recite the Lord's Prayer together, as a prayer for peace. There is no doubt that this minute could change the world, if we believe that changing the world begins with ourselves. We ask the Father, who knows and loves us, to help us change.

A personal relationship is often fate-determining. The will to defend is strengthened when a war becomes a personal one. However, we must do everything to ensure that the peace also becomes our personalized peace.

This is not the peace that Ukrainians alone need. For this to be our personal peace as well, we have to start changing within ourselves.

Today already. Then, not only will we have a personal peace as well as a personal state, but the world and everything that happens in it will become our personal business.

Ernst Jaakson's message 55 years ago, which made it to the Moon, proves that with empathy and the love of one's neighbor, we can achieve a personal universe.

Estonia's long-term plan must foresee that consciousness-based education must be placed next to knowledge-based education in order to achieve a better future. Perhaps worldview or religious education would help with this. We must not only be convinced of and believe only that which we can measure, but also what our conscience, our soul and consciousness indicate. Not a single of the latter can be measured or weighed with any scales, yet we know full well that our existence ultimately depends on their existence.

The now 106-year-old state of Estonia remains alive and physically in good health. However, the mental health of our lovely Estonia needs soul support, spiritual support and balance. The beloved musician Tõnis Mägi writes and sings about achieving such a correct balance on his new album:

Sa tead, tuleb hoida tasakaalu.

Vaekausil on Su süda ja Su hing.

Ka siis, kui kõik on hästi – palu.

Vahel võib parketilgi libastuda king.

("Tasakaal", Tõnis Mägi).

In English:

You know you need a balance.

Your heart and soul are at stake.

Even when all is well – pray!

Sometimes, a shoe can slip on the parquet.

("Balance," by Tõnis Mägi).

*Kaitsetahe, in Estonian, as emblazoned on a sweatshirt presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his official visit to Estonia last month.

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