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A REVIEW OF THE WORLD AS IT IS—A REJOINDER. The point you have raised and the question posed will require volumes to answer in days and weeks. But I shall try without much intervention oŁ mental thought to answer you as follows : — I am dealing with these subjects as any layman with moderate knowledge and in touch with the happenings of the world will deal. First you have to see that there are two forces- working in antagonism—this naturally has been the case all along but their struggles and contradictions have been much accentuated since the last Great World War. On the one side there is some constructive activity on the part of the U. N. O. and on the other hand, a global preparation for vast and immense destructive purposes.
All this is naturally due to ignorance on the part of the human beings who are now entrusted with the governance of their countries. These are being swayed by personal or collective ambitions, desires and impulses to see their countries greatness, power, strength remain unimpaired even at the cost and expenses of other countries. This mentality dominated by the ignorant, crude and self-assertive vital propensities is responsible for the major international troubles and wars in economic and political fields. It was expected by the founders of the U. N. O. the five Great World Powers, U. S., U. S. S. R., France, England and China that the foundation of the U. N. by their collective efforts will bring an era of peace and prosperity throughout the World. But human
Page-24 nature dies hard even death does not end our egoistic and hence ignorant beings. The result was suspicion, distrust and competition among these Superpowers for rivalry in every field except as I mentioned the social, educational, economic end cultural relations. This is where there is some semblance of unity among nations. They act together in cases of floods, famine, earthquakes, epidemics etc., occurring in any part of the world. Otherwise there is antagonism, rivalry and bitter competition in the two major fields of human existence, viz., politics and economics where you can see how the powers are ranged against themselves and spending millions, billions and trillions of dollars etc., simply for destructive purposes of their fellowmen.
If we leave spirituality alone (the domain of saints, sages, seers, Avatars) we shall see the recent resurgence of animosity among all sections of people on account of religious fanaticism, communal clashes, ethnic intolerance etc., is mainly and fundamentally due solely to economic causes the dwindling resources of the people one sect or another, of one country or another and the attempt by force to weed out other nationalities or ethnic groups from their native country. The obsession of humanity even of the elites all over the world for possession of power, pelf and authority has led to a degeneration and downward trend of consciousness even in our own country and elsewhere also to such an extent that some 25 or 30 years back we could not even imagine such a set back in the moral standard of humanity. But all this is perhaps needed for evolutionary purpose. Unless man's consciousness changes from his narrow, selfish, ignorant and limited egoistic individual consciousness to an enlarged, liberated, universal, impersonal
Page-25 and Unitarian consciousness which is the spiritual or Divine consciousness which sees things in their essence of unity and not in the passing phenomena oŁ diversity, there is not much hope for the present humanity. Who knows, but an immense devastation and death following a global nuclear war may be necessary to rouse the Real consciousness of man so that he may change and have peace, prosperity and harmony in life. This is for the future as predicted by Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo and other great seers. A new consciousness other than the mental, i.e., Supra-mental or Truth-consciousness will bring about the desired change in Life. But we all must contribute our share.
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