MAY 7
On the Brink of History
The American war of Independence was fought from 1775 to 1783. Having seen its consequences some of America’s leaders subsequently began to advocate peaceful methods of gaining political ends instead of violence. One of these was the second American president, John Adams, who came to be known as a non-political politician.
When Britain under the Paris treaty gave the US its freedom in 1783, its history radically altered course. Now the maximum importance began to be given to education, scientific research, industry, city planning and character building of the new generations.
The same happened in the case of Japan. Up to the end of the second World War, Japan had followed the path of militancy. But its experiences during the war led it to change its priorities. Now militancy was totally abandoned. Instead, all attention was diverted to the field of education, with progress in science and technology as its target. As a result of adopting this reverse course, as they called it, the Japanese saw dramatic changes within a period of forty years.
This stage of taking the reverse course comes to every nation. In the event, it is those who show the ability to adapt themselves to changing sets of circumstances who are successful. Those who fail to adapt are doomed to failure. The U.S. and Japan both provide examples of the benefits of adopting this reverse course. India, on the contrary, sets the opposite example. After independence, Mahatma Gandhi wanted India to follow this reverse course, but it failed to do so, hence the delay in its emergence as a developed country.
For the Muslims too this hour has come. Because of continuing to bear grudges against others they had futilely adopted a policy of militancy over a long period. But now it is high time to abandon externally directed policy and focus instead on internal matters. That is, they must first admit their own shortcomings and then direct their full attention towards their own construction. This being the only solution to the problems faced by the Muslims, they ought wholeheartedly to adopt this policy.
