Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace. -Buddha
Can we really talk our way to peace? I believe that peace talks in the international sense are really negotiation sessions, where leaders weigh their options and resources, and then decide what will be the best deal. The words in negotiation are “how much?”
In relationships between friends, family or lovers peace emerges when there is compassion for hurts, kindness during periods of struggle or challenges, and forgiveness for imagined slights or indiscretions. The words are usually “I understand, I support you, or I forgive you.”
One word that flows through all the peaceful overtures is “love.”
Beyond all attempts to articulate peace through negotiation, support or forgiveness of another person or group is the powerful energy of love. Expressed in individuals who one by one create a peaceful reality, the universal energy of love exists at the core of our being. When we listen to others, the beauty of peace rushes into our awareness and transforms our view of others. We then realize that we are all good to the core. We recognize love’s unspoken power.
nine principles for joy 
I agree that one word can change things in a person, an organization, or even shift the culture in a country. Thomas Jefferson and his committee used words in the Declaration of Independence that not only called for separation from England, but also infused the imagination of Americans thereafter with the ideal, “all men (humanity) are created equal.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used four words, “I have a dream,” that helped break the cosmic spell which bind a nation. Perhaps the greatest of these words is “charity,” as the Apostle Paul said. Love for others and for one self might be the fastest train to get out of hell, which, I think, is what Ndidi wrote here.
It seems that loving self is really recognizing self for the first time. What we call “self” is often just an external image or the reality one has created. Our true self is indescribable yet it is the real truth of our existence. Deep within, at the deepest level of our being is the soul. We layer reality over that “being-ness” and call it self but we shroud our true self in the process. At the soul level we are only LOVE. When we meditate or pray we face the core of who we are — Love. When we are fully aware of our core self, loving others is easy, because we also realize that we are all connected at that core spiritual self. Love is not something we do, it is something we are.