🚀 go-pugleaf

                                  II

Banning nuclear weapons,  prohibiting  the  use  of  poison  gases,  or
outlawing  germ warfare will not remove the root causes of war. However
important such practical measures obviously  are  as  elements  of  the
peace process, they are in themselves too superficial to exert enduring
influence. Peoples are ingenious enough to invent yet  other  forms  of
warfare,  and  to  use  food, raw materials, finance, industrial power,
ideology, and terrorism to subvert one another in an endless quest  for
supremacy and dominion.  Nor can the present massive dislocation in the
affairs of humanity be resolved  through  the  settlement  of  specific
conflicts   or   disagreements  among  nations.   A  genuine  universal
framework must be adopted.

Certainly, there is no lack of recognition by national leaders  of  the
worldwide  character  of  the  problem,  which  is  self-evident in the
mounting  issues  that  confront  them  daily.   And  there   are   the
accumulating  studies  and  solutions  proposed  by  many concerned and
enlightened groups as well as by agencies of  the  United  Nations,  to
remove  any possibility of ignorance as to the challenging requirements
to be met.  There is, however, a paralysis of will; and it is this that
must be carefully examined and resolutely dealt with. This paralysis is
rooted,  as  we  have  stated,  in  a  deep-seated  conviction  of  the
inevitable  quarrelsomeness of mankind, which has led to the reluctance
to entertain the possibility of subordinating national self-interest to
the  requirements  of  world  order,  and  in  an unwillingness to face
courageously the far-reaching implications  of  establishing  a  united
world  authority.   It  is  also traceable to the incapacity of largely
ignorant and subjugated masses to articulate their  desire  for  a  new
order  in which they can live in peace, harmony and prosperity with all
humanity.


The tentative steps towards world order, especially since World War II,
give  hopeful  signs.  The  increasing tendency of groups of nations to
formalize relationships which enable them to cooperate  in  matters  of
mutual  interest  suggests  that  eventually all nations could overcome
this paralysis. The  Association  of  South  East  Asian  Nations,  the
Caribbean  Community  and  Common  Market,  the Central American Common
Market, the  Council  for  Mutual  Economic  Assistance,  the  European
Communities,  the  League  of  Arab States, the Organization of African
Unity, the Organization of American States, the South  Pacific  Forum--
all  the  joint endeavors represented by such organizations prepare the
path to world order.

The increasing attention being focused on some of the most  deep-rooted
problems  of  the  planet  is  yet  another  hopeful sign.  Despite the
obvious shortcomings of the United Nations, the  more  than  two  score
declarations  and  conventions adopted by that organization, even where
governments have not been enthusiastic in their commitment, have  given
ordinary  people  a  sense  of  a  new  lease  on  life.  The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights,  the  Convention  on  the  Prevention  and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and the similar measures concerned
with eliminating all forms of discrimination based  on  race,  sex,  or
religious  belief;  upholding  the  rights of the child; protecting all
persons against being subjected  to  torture;  eradicating  hunger  and
malnutrition;  using  scientific  and  technological  progress  in  the
interest of peace and the benefit of  mankind--all  such  measures,  if
courageously  enforced  and  expanded,  will  advance  the day when the
specter of war will have  lost  its  power  to  dominate  international
relations.  There  is  no need to stress the significance of the issues
addressed by these declarations and conventions. However,  a  few  such
issues,  because  of  their  immediate  relevance to establishing world
peace, deserve additional comment.

Racism, one of the most  baneful  and  persistent  evils,  is  a  major
barrier  to  peace. Its practice perpetrates too outrageous a violation
of the dignity of human beings to be countenanced  under  any  pretext.
Racism  retards  the  unfoldment of the boundless potentialities of its
victims,  corrupts  its  perpetrators,  and  blights  human   progress.
Recognition of the oneness of mankind, implemented by appropriate legal
measures, must be universally upheld if this problem is to be overcome.

The inordinate disparity between rich  and  poor,  a  source  of  acute
suffering,  keeps the world in a state of instability, virtually on the
brink  of  war.   Few  societies  have  dealt  effectively  with   this
situation.   The   solution  calls  for  the  combined  application  of
spiritual, moral, and practical approaches. A fresh look at the problem
is  required,  entailing consultation with experts from a wide spectrum
of disciplines,  devoid  of  economic  and  ideological  polemics,  and
involving  the  people  directly  affected  in  the decisions that must
urgently be made. It is an issue that is bound up  not  only  with  the
necessity  for  eliminating the extremes of wealth and poverty but also
with those spiritual verities the understanding of which can produce  a
new  universal  attitude.  Fostering such an attitude is itself a major
part of the solution.

Unbridled nationalism, as distinguished  from  a  sane  and  legitimate
patriotism,  must  give way to a wider loyalty, to the love of humanity
as a whole. Baha'u'llah  's  statement  is:  ``the  earth  is  but  one
country, and mankind its citizens." The concept of world citizenship is
a direct  result  of  the  contraction  of  the  world  into  a  single
neighborhood  through  scientific  advances  and  of  the  indisputable
interdependence of nations. Love of all the world's  peoples  does  not
exclude  love  of  one's  country. The advantage of the part in a world
society is best served by promoting the advantage of the whole. Current
international   activities  in  various  fields  which  nurture  mutual
affection and a sense of solidarity among peoples need  greatly  to  be
increased.

Religious strife, throughout history, has been the cause of innumerable
wars  and  conflicts,  a  major blight to progress, and is increasingly
abhorrent to the people of all faiths and no faith.  Followers  of  all
religions must be willing to face the basic questions which this strife
raises, and to arrive  at  clear  answers.   How  are  the  differences
between  them  to  be  resolved,  both  in  theory and in practice? The
challenge facing the religious leaders of mankind  is  to  contemplate,
with  hearts  filled  with  the  spirit  of compassion and a desire for
truth, the plight of humanity,  and  to  ask  themselves  whether  they
cannot,  in  humility  before  their  Almighty  Creator, submerge their
theological differences in a great spirit of  mutual  forbearance  that
will  enable  them  to  work  together  for  the  advancement  of human
understanding and peace.

The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the
sexes,   is  one  of  the  most  important,  though  less  acknowledged
prerequisites of peace. The denial  of  such  equality  perpetrates  an
injustice  against  one  half of the world's population and promotes in
men harmful attitudes and habits that are carried from  the  family  to
the  workplace,  to  political  life,  and  ultimately to international
relations. There are no grounds, moral, practical, or biological,  upon
which  such  denial  can  be justified. Only as women are welcomed into
full partnership in all fields of human endeavor  will  the  moral  and
psychological  climate  be  created  in  which  international peace can
emerge.

The cause of universal education, which has  already  enlisted  in  its
service  an  army  of  dedicated  people  from  every faith and nation,
deserves the utmost support that the governments of the world can  lend
it.  For ignorance is indisputably the principal reason for the decline
and fall of peoples and the perpetration of prejudice.  No  nation  can
achieve  success unless education is accorded all its citizens. Lack of
resources limits the ability of many nations to fulfill this necessity,
imposing   a  certain  ordering  of  priorities.   The  decision-making
agencies involved would do well to consider giving  first  priority  to
the  education of women and girls, since it is through educated mothers
that the benefits of knowledge can  be  most  effectively  and  rapidly
diffused  throughout  society.  In keeping with the requirements of the
times, consideration should also be given to teaching  the  concept  of
world citizenship as part of the standard education of every child.

A  fundamental  lack  of  communication   between   peoples   seriously
undermines  efforts  towards  world  peace.  Adopting  an international
auxiliary  language  would  go  far  to  resolving  this  problem   and
necessitates the most urgent attention.

Two points bear emphasizing in  all  these  issues.  One  is  that  the
abolition  of  war  is  not  simply  a  matter  of signing treaties and
protocols; it is a complex task requiring a new level of commitment  to
resolving  issues not customarily associated with the pursuit of peace.
Based on political agreements alone, the idea of collective security is
a  chimera.  The  other  point is that the primary challenge in dealing
with issues of peace is to raise the context to the level of principle,
as  distinct from pure pragmatism. For, in essence, peace stems from an
inner state supported by a spiritual  or  moral  attitude,  and  it  is
chiefly  in  evoking  this  attitude  that  the possibility of enduring
solutions can be found.

There are spiritual principles, or what some people call human  values,
by  which  solutions  can be found for every social problem.  Any well-
intentioned group can in a general sense devise practical solutions  to
its  problems,  but good intentions and practical knowledge are usually
not enough. The essential merit of spiritual principle is that  it  not
only  presents  a  perspective  which  harmonizes  with  that  which is
immanent in human nature, it also induces an  attitude,  a  dynamic,  a
will,  an aspiration, which facilitate the discovery and implementation
of practical measures.  Leaders of governments  and  all  in  authority
would  be  well served in their efforts to solve problems if they would
first seek to identify the principles involved and then  be  guided  by
them.