Sambodhi 1989 Vol 16

Author(s): Ramesh S Betai, Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 99

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nist for fifty years and more! Radhakrishnan is again right when he desires political equality and adds that "Tliere can be 110 political equality where there is so much economic inequality.” (p. 24). Economic inequality the world over has proved that there can be no political equality or genuine peace and happiness in politics, in democracy, in any ism at that. Here also the situation is far more glaringly painful and bad than Radhakrishnan could conceive of.
In the study of the negative results that are a veritable challenge to humanity and civilization, the author next takes up the problem of International Relations. He has rightly stressed that almost all countries are interested more or principally in national interests and even the League of Nations lived for some time only till it furthered national interests of some countries and, as we know, it crumbled with time. As he states
"The nations plead for peace and prepare for war. They are not ready to give up the cast of mind that leads to strife ..... From the nursery we cultivate this conceit of nationalism by the waving of flags and the blowing of bugles, by songs of patriotism and the hymns of hate. Each nation in the last war claimed to be the only one engaged in the defence of civilzation. In its name each nation justified everything, excused everything, massacres and destruction." (p. 25). That invited the second world-war and all the devastating annihilation that it led to. The situation has gone from bad to worse in the modern days when the nations of the world are divided into blocks nourishing and furthering common interests. We have the “United Nations" with all the good work to its credit. Yet atomic weapons are piling up. Countries have collected weapons that can destory outright the entire world several times. The human mind remains still under the spell of narrow and selfish interests, racial and religious discriminations, a keen sense of superiority, mutual distrust and hatred and what not ! The concept of one world is still a distant ideal cherished by some but not fulfilled and not likely to be fulfilled in the near future; the world is torn into strifes. Radhakrishnan gives a picture of pessimisni, it is a faint and painful picture that has become ghastly today. He rightly states
"It is no good preventing cruetly to animals and building hospitals for the sick and poor-houses for the destitute so long as we are willing to mow down masses of men by machine-guns and poison non-combatants, including the aged and the infirm, women and children and all for what ? For the glory of God and the honour of the nation.” (p. 26).
The world has become more ghastly today. It is with sadness that the author adds :