Two Contradictory faces of human nature

“PEACE HATH ITS VICTORIES NO LESS RENOWNED THAN WAR”

Two contradictory forces of human nature-pugnacity and love of peace-have been struggling from times immemorial for supremacy. If was is the natural urge of man and the spontaneous growth of his pugnacious nature then peace is the demand of a social life and pre-requisite of social cohesion. War results in the victor and the vanquished, the triumphant and the defeated, the proud and the humiliated. War brings material benefits and the territorial sovereignty to the victor whereas the defeated loses his liberty, free thinking, traditional way of life, even civilization and culture. Was was considered to be the only alternative to reconcile the two opposing nations and to decide finally the supremacy of the one-ironically enough we can say they justified the truth of the “survival of the fittest”. The possessions of the victor were the source of pride, the position of vantage and the power to exploit the victim. War has always been praised by the war-mongers; war shakes off the sloth which eats upon the motive power behind the national effort. With all the halo of glory war is condemned because it brings in its wake misery, frustration, death, destruction and so many evils which might be found only in Pandora’s Box. Peace creates an atmosphere of love, generosity and kindness. War brings victory and the sense of victory whereas peace imparts spiritual peace and zest to work for one’s progress and the nations’ up life; war feeds the devil in man whereas peace nurses the angel in him; war leads him towards the abyss of destruction whereas peace nurses the angle in him; war leads him towards the abyss of destruction whereas peace takes him to the peaks of glory; peace hath its own victories no less renowned than war.

War, the only weapon of Hitler, the only passion of the great warriors of the past, the only resort of the kings has added to its glories through the centuries, extending from the primitive ages. It spreads, its tentacles in the plans as well as in the thinking of the people who were at the helm of affairs in the different nations and countries. It rooted itself in the psychology of man so as to assume the shape of a natural desire, which craved for expression at intervals. Slavery was the legacy of a war but the only means of satisfying the desire of the exploiters, who worked little and depended mostly upon slaves. As a result of it, war gained popularity because it not only brought wealth, both human and material, it also gave the power to rule the defeated. The victor lived like a parasite rather a blood sucker who fed fat on the hard earned money of the poor vanquished and he showed no decency and observed no codes of conduct, and maintained no reverence for human life and Christian virtues. Every whim of his war carried through, every prejudice of his was respected, every desire of his was taken to be a law, every word of his was gospel truth. What more power can any other action confer than war itself.

The victor builds up the economy of his nation on the ruins of the defeated; all the raw materials are used for producing their own finished goods and similarly they try to snatch away gold as much as it is possible. Their own economy becomes stable and they are in a position to make an all round progress; the defeated lose their initiative and kill their enthusiasm. As a consequence, they are thrown into a state of inactivity and ignorance. Possession of another’s territory help them to get food stuffs and other things which are rare in their own country. That is why many nations cast greedy eyes upon the “Middle East” which has been the arena of war during the last two World Wars. It is only copper and uranium which are found in Congo, in great abundance, and these minerals resulted in a tug of war between the two Power blocs. There is a great possibility that the Chinese had attacked India to possess the Digboi Oil fields in Assam. The material possessions of war, no doubt, cannot be justified on moral grounds and has outlived their justification even according to the codes of social decency, still this has been the order of the past and the present.

War, they say, rejuvenates the stagnant activities, it stirs up the stifled enthusiasm, sharpens the blunt edges of genius, and brings the nations back from the state of hibernation. War, they say, always gives fillip to industries and more development is expected in the case of key industries. The development help the nations to rise in a very short time. The knowledge of atom and rockets can easily be traced back to the Second World War; the efforts to unite the whole of the world and the apparent success in mutual understanding and co-operation are the direct consequences of the bitter experiences of Second World War. The moral blunder which was committed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been a consent reminder of the destruction foreboded by a World War. Undoubtedly, the old allies have become new enemies and the enmity has assumed larger proportions. Still war has its own victories and its own strong points.

Peace, with its emphasis upon security of life and security of property, with its insistence upon the moral development and the material benefits, with its struggle for higher and better life has always been the passion of human beings. No denying the fact that peace imparts lethargy and inactivity. It freezes the struggle for evolution, it benumbs the genius of man. Still it cannot be discounted as devoid of victories and triumphs, which differ in their complexion and content, in their implication and impact from victories of war. Peace develops the finer feelings, love for humanity and zest to reform the down-trodden and a passion to ameliorate the conditions of the poor. During peace we try to devote our attention to constructive activities, we weed out the evil customs of the society which corrode it. On its face value it seems to be strange, because idle brain is the devil’s workshop for the benefit of the humanity. During war progress is always on the negative side and it prepares the world for a more disastrous catastrophe, but peace establishes the peaceful atmosphere which tries to kill the devilish tendencies.

Not to speak of peace even the peaceful methods of solving the complicated problems of the world have proved their worth; moral force not only brings a peaceful settlement but also changes the mental makeup and the thinking of those who are concerned. Negotiations can build the atmosphere of peace; even in the conflicting views they find a meeting ground-enemies of yesterday become the allies of today. Moreover, moral force reminds them of certain moral principles which are necessary for man if the wants to live in society. We will have to accept the force of the argument when we are reminded that Gandhiji was able to win over the hearts of the people and shake off the foreign yoke by adopting peaceful methods. No doubt the present day world does not have the atmosphere which is necessary for the free use and application of moral forces, yet we are not to give it up and we are not to condemn it simply because it is unsuitable to the circumstances-the fault lies in us and not in the principle. Successful working of U.N.O. is a pointer towards the fact that not only the common man but even the captains of the States prefer peaceful methods for bringing an end to war. The blockade of Cuba by the Americans made it necessary for Russia to dismantle the missile bases. Is it not a manifestation of leaders’ desire to avoid war and to live peacefully and to settle the complicated problems through peaceful methods? The application of these methods for settling the minor problems is also surprisingly successful. Strikes and lock-outs which are a substitute for direct action, are better than all other methods of settling issues. This method dispels misunderstanding and creates the atmosphere which brings the parties closer. So peaceful methods have their own trophies, more attractive, more permanent and more impressionable.

Peace had its own victories in the past and definitely more glories than the war. It was during the reign of the Queen Elizabeth in England that many of the new islands were discovered, literature touched its glory; it was during the Guptas that we were able to herals Folden age; it was during. Ashoka’s reign that we were able to spread our message of Buddha throughout the world; it is only in the absence of war that we have been able to accumulate knowledge. Peace sharpens intellect, increases our knowledge, betters life, motivates constructive thinking, refines the finer emotions of man. During peace we feel that we have been transported to paradise and feel ourselves moving along with Adam and Eve enjoying all the sweet scents. No doubt we have to give devil its due when we praise war a bit, still devil remains devil and on any day may appear red in tooth and claw, but peace spreads its warmth in the far flung corners and serves as a guide for prosperity.