Lessons from Switzerland
On this trip, I had the opportunity of visiting different parts of Switzerland. One of the sights I got to see here were trees that, along with green leaves, had leaves of a golden hue. How is it that these leaves were of this colour? I learned the secret of this when I had another experience. Switzerland is a cold country. Here, often it is cloudly, because of which during the day the sun is hidden from view. Several times, I experienced that the sun could not be seen, yet the light was visible in the atmosphere. After pondering on this, I realised that this light was because of these golden-hued leaves. The leaves keep producing a soft light in the atmosphere. What a great sign of God’s power this is! There are, of course, numerous other such signs in Nature.
In terms of Peace, Switzerland is a model country. This Peace was obtained not by eliminating differences among its inhabitants but by accepting them. Switzerland is a nation the people of which have no unity of ethnicity, language, or religion, but it is a united and prosperous nation. In contrast to Switzerland, there is neither social unity nor prosperity in many other countries characterised by social diversity. Some people believe that this is because of the different religions and cultures in such countries. Thus, they tried to eliminate these differences to promote unity, thinking this would engender unity. However, this is an unworkable and impractical idea. Moreover, that is why this approach has not succeeded to date. The fact is that unity is the name for being united despite differences and not being united by eliminating differences.
A thousand or so years ago, Muslims entered present-day Switzerland. However, their presence lasted only a short while and ended without any significant outcome. Professor George Richard Potter (d.1981), who was a medieval history professor at the University of Sheffield, and who co-authored a book titled, A Short History of Switzerland, notes, ‘In the 10th century, Muslims reached Swiss territory, but they were too far from their base to have anything more than nuisance value.’
In the past, for several centuries, Switzerland witnessed many wars and conflicts, including the conflict between Roman Catholics and Protestants and the war with Russia, Germany, and France. However, the national policy of Switzerland was always based on two principles—Peace and neutrality. On account of this policy, Switzerland is today regarded as among the most peaceful and prosperous countries globally, even though in terms of natural resources it does not have anything other than that of reservoirs water.
In 1914, the First World War broke out. Switzerland had the status of a neutral country then. As a result, many political refugees from other parts of Europe fled their countries and came to Switzerland. Among these was Vladimir Lenin, who later spearheaded the Marxist revolution in Russia. He arrived in Switzerland in September 1914. Some of his companions, who were called Bolsheviks, also gathered there. They organised two anti-war conferences—in 1915 and 1916. At these conferences, Lenin’s slogan was, ‘Transform the imperialist war into civil war.’
It is a harmful method of seeking to obtain one’s objectives. However, most leaders do precisely this. They emerge for a positive purpose, and to obtain this purpose, they adopt harmful methods. However, history shows that a positive purpose always is obtained only through a positive method. A harmful method can never lead to a positive outcome.
In Switzerland, the first international body in history was established. The League of Nations was formed after the First World War in 1920. Its headquarters were in Geneva. Its objective was said to be international co-operation. However, as a result of the Second World War, the League of Nations collapsed. Following the war, another international body, the United Nations, came into being, with its headquarters in New York.
Muslim leaders negatively commented when the League of Nations was established in Switzerland. An instance of this sort of negative comment was a Persian couplet which can be translated as follows:
What is the League of Nations?
Some shroud-robbers have set up an association to divide graves.
In this world, characterised by multiple and diverse interests, it always happens that collective institutions cannot be to the liking of everyone. It being the case, the right approach is not to express one’s displeasure but, instead, to compensate for an aspect that one might dislike by availing of favourable aspects that can be used for one’s benefit. It is a fact that both problems and opportunities exist side by side. Through such wise reflection, prudence, and careful thinking, one can find and avail of opportunities despite problems. However, unfortunately, Muslim leaders could not do this sort of thing. It remains one of the biggest problems of present-day Muslims.
One of Switzerland’s greatest blessings is its numerous lakes that are to be found across the country. Switzerland is a mountainous country, and there is often continuous light rain. The rain freezes into snow on mountaintops, which then melts and feeds the lakes with water. The Swiss people have made good use of these lakes. They are used for boating for entertainment, irrigation, and manufacturing cheap electricity.
There are not many such lakes in India, but many rivers exist. These rivers can be used in such a way as to turn them into significant assets. If, instead of spending vast amounts of money on massive dams, financial resources had been allotted for the proper use of rivers, there might have been no water problem in India.
As far as I know, the first noteworthy name in this regard is that of a British gentleman, Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur Cotton. In 1839, he began an important scheme in southern India during British rule, but it could not be completed. He gave this scheme the name of ‘Inter-Basin Transfer of Water’. Its objective was to link different rivers in India through canals so that water from one river could reach other rivers.
In India, almost every year, some parts witness heavy rains that lead to floods in rivers that cause massive damage, while at the same time, in some other parts of the country, rivers run dry owing to scanty rain. If the different rivers in the country are linked together through canals, this problem could perhaps be solved. Water from places that have received heavy rain could flow through canals and reach places experiencing a water shortage. There could be several benefits of such a scheme, including ending water scarcity, boosting irrigation and production of electricity, and enabling easy travel on waterways. It would have been a valuable asset for India if it had been completed.
