My Views on Some Issues
Later in the day, a welcome function was held at the Casino Theatre in Zug. Some speakers were invited to speak. In his talk, Andrey Beykov gave an introduction to his mission. He spoke about the threats posed by nuclear weapons, mentioning that four world powers (U.S.A., UK, France, and Russia) possessed around 90% of all such weapons. He noted the widespread demand across the world that these weapons be eliminated. He spoke about Peace International and the Nuclear Disarmament Forum and expressed the hope that in the next 25 years, Peace would be established in the world.
It has been my experience that people who attend grand conferences have grand-sounding titles attached to their names and speak on grand-sounding topics, often speaking primarily about irrelevant things. In this regard, this roundtable discussion did not prove very different. I shared these feelings with a fellow participant, who agreed with me. Be that as it may, I am presenting below some points that some participants made in their speeches:
Referring to the present dark state of affairs, South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, ‘God is a dreamer. We also ought to be dreamers. I hope you can dream too of a world without war. We need to be idealists.’
If I had to make this point, I would have said that the cause of the culture of violence that prevails today is a lack of maturity among people. People do not know the power of Peace. That is why they so quickly take to violence. The need now is to end people’s immaturity and make them aware of the benefits of Peace. Only after this can the present culture of violence be put an end to. We need to make people aware of the benefits of peace.
Another participant remarked that poverty breeds despair, and despair breeds violence. That is why, first of all, poverty should be ended. Only after that can peace be established.
On its face, this argument sounds beautiful, but in terms of reality, it holds no weight. If some people earn less and others earn more, it results from natural law and not any oppression. That is why what is needed is for opportunities for work to be expanded as much as possible. Following this, people will start making efforts on their own. In the present age, opportunities are available for everyone. We just need to find and avail them.
One speaker spoke about the need for cultivating self-criticism and said that one should not just criticise the wrong actions of others but also look at the causes of their actions.
This point is valid, but the actual problem is the correct identification of the causes of a problem. If the causes of a problem are not correctly identified, all efforts to solve the problem will be a complete waste of time. For example, consider the case of Marxism. Karl Marx identified what he thought were the actual causes of a particular state of affairs, and, in line with this, an enormous struggle was spearheaded by his followers for almost a century. However, the outcome of their struggle was only further devastation on a vaster scale. This was because identifying the causes of a particular situation was not correct. I always try to identify the root cause of the problem and only then initiate efforts to find its solution.
In her speech, Elizabeth, the former princess of Yugoslavia, suggested that we cannot solve the world’s problems only through external actions from outside. For this, we also need to engage in inner efforts.
Many people speak in this vein, but when they are requested to explain their point more specifically, it has been my experience that they cannot do so. Perhaps, this is because some people speak in this way in a sort of fashion but are not so serious about issues they would like to try and understand in depth. In my view, what is required is that people change themselves on positive lines.
A participant remarked, “We are just guests on this planet—a very lousy guest.”
The correct thing to say is that man has been placed on this Earth that belongs to God for the purpose of the test. The notion of ‘guest’ does not engender a sense of responsibility in a person. However, someone in whose mind the concept of ‘test’ gets fixed will be vigilant. He will adopt a responsible way of living. Then one will feel duty-bound to live a responsible life.
A lady from America, who happened to be the director of an institute, said that the greatest need is for self-supporting regional economies today.
To my mind, this suggestion is not in accordance with practical realities. This age is an age of globalisation. Today, a global economy is rapidly being established across the world. In such a situation, only that sort of vision is appropriate, which is according to the conditions of the age. No theory or scheme, no matter how beautiful it might appear, can work if it ignores the demands of the times. We have to plan based on practical realities.
Another participant offered the following definition of Peace: “Peace is to try to defend the status quo.”
As I see it, there is a crucial point that is absent in this definition of Peace, and that is that Peace is a means for promoting a conducive atmosphere wherein actors can avail of available opportunities to pursue positive purposes. If we maintain peace for the sake of peace, not linking it with justice and other conditions, what this does is that it creates a situation of normalcy that opens the doors to opportunities. Availing of those opportunities, people can pursue their positive goals and purposes.
Another participant said that now-a-days, political leaders are working for Peace in different countries. He opined that religious leaders should come forward and play a role in bringing a ‘new world of peace’.
Now, it is true that these days, numerous political leaders or intellectual figures appear to be quite active in the name of Peace. However, according to my experience, this is simply part of an effort to establish and maintain their leadership. I have attended many conferences like this one and have found that in such forums, people who are considered leaders speak wonderful words when it is their turn to give a speech, but for the rest of the duration of the conference, they spend their time entertaining themselves in such a way as if Peace is not their concern at all. I do not believe that the participation of religious leaders with such people will produce any positive results. To establish Peace, the initial condition is the seriousness of purpose.
Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, a former President of the USSR, delivered his speech in Russian, which was translated into English. He opined that the United Nations is a ‘relic of the past’ and said that ‘developed nations used everything to their advantage.’ ‘We need governance of the world, not govern the world. He commented that we need a new world order—juster, more humane.’
The matter is that whatever Mr. Gorbachev said here actually applied to himself, too. He was the leader of his country’s Communist Party and became the President of the USSR. All he said in his speech applied to himself and his political belief system. Strangely, man does not acknowledge his failures but expects others to bestow on him the status of an expert critic!
