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IN SEARCH OF PEACE: AN ETERNAL QUEST
GBK HOOJA
The world today stands in danger of being riven by such fissiparous and divisive forces as terrorism, fanaticism, apartheid, religious riots, ethnic clashes and war-mongers, which threaten to push mankind to the brink of a catastrophe. It would, however, be naive to say that these threats are new or are peculiar to the mankind. The duel between dark forces and forces of enlightenment is a continuing feature of human history. As expounded by Shri Aurobindo (1872-1950) in his Theory of Integral Yoga, "life is a battle-field of constant struggle between the progressive evolutionary forces and atavistic or retarding forces of evil". The progressive or upward pulling evolutionary forces are in continuous conflict with the downward, depressing forces of gravity (inertia). But the gravity of the situation as it faces humanity today has assumed very ominous proportions, paradoxically with the advancement of Science and knowledge, since it has placed in the hands of unscrupulous elements nuclear weapons of destruction, capable of blowing the world many times over. This is what made an illustrious poet of our times pray for knowledge tempered by wisdom.
It has been truly said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing; and no human being can claim to be all-knowing. That is what calls for the importance of gurus, (teachers), true gurus, who may show light to the bewildered humanity, gurus, imbued with the right religious spirit, with compassion for not only mankind, but for the entire creation, since in this global society, there is a symbiotic relationship between various organisms, each of which depends for its existence on the other. To ignore this truth is to invite selfdestruction, disaster. This is what made Einstein say that Science without spirituality is blind, even as spiritualism unchecked by scientific temper may degenerate into fraud, self-hypnosis, leading to dark alleys of blind faith. Thus what the mankind needs today as ever is a happy blend of Science and Spirituality. These are the two eyes which should guide mankind on its onward [march through time and space.
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