What now of the immediate present, and what can the individual
do to aid the cause of humanity and arrest the tide of evil? If he is fighting already
upon the side of the Forces of Light and of the Allies, he knows his destiny and service.
But what of those who question what they can do, and yet are eager to see clearly and to
play their part when right vision is theirs? To them I would say the following things:
- Eliminate prejudice, national pride, and religious antipathies out of your
consciousness. The past mistakes of the Allies, as history gives them, are facts which
they themselves do not deny. They stand not alone in selfishness, for [245] the same
faults taint every national record. But they stand today for a new and spiritual order,
based on a desire for synthesis, right methods of government and the good of the people.
The unhappy past of all nations is today used as an alibi by those who do not choose to
shoulder responsibility, or to sacrifice anything for the cause of humanity. A recognition
of our own shortcomings and a spirit of tolerance and forgiveness are needed by all today.
- Refuse to be afraid of any results of right and positive action. Fear lies behind much
of the dissenting attitudes today, and fear kills truth, hides the vision and arrests
right action. The great Leader of this Christian era has warned us not to be afraid of
those who kill the body, but to fear only those who seek to kill the soul. The forces of
aggression are slowly and ruthlessly killing out love and hope (qualities of the soul) in
the conquered lands and in Germany. This, along with the great humanitarian plea, is
sufficient reason to impel all men of goodwill to take up arms on the side of the Forces
of Light. I would commend this to your imaginative attention. To put it even more
practically, I would ask you if you would care to have your children subjected to the
educational processes of the Nazi regime - with its crushing of all humanity, its emphasis
upon pride of race and its cult of cruelty? Can you then stand idly by or simply resort to
prayer and talk about the beauties of peace when the little children in the appropriated
lands come under the soul-killing system of Germany? Refuse, then, in their interests, to
be afraid.
- Having sensed the vision, recognized the hindrances, and dealt with innate prejudice and
fear, it will then become apparent to you what (in the face of this dangerous crisis) you
must do. It is not for me to tell you what it is. The details are for you to decide; the
methods which you must employ will become clear to you; the humanitarian issues will
become increasingly plain to you; you will then range yourself on the side of the Forces
of Light, and will uphold the hands of those who are fighting for world
peace and security, preparatory to the inauguration of the new world [246] order. This you
will do with no thought of self. You will face life truly and sincerely, with a fully
dedicated sacrifice of time, self, money and, if need be, of life. You will realize
dynamically that the attitude of the passive onlooker is not that of the agent of the
Forces of Light or of a lover of humanity.
- You will also learn to keep your mind free from hate, refusing to hate the deluded
sinner even when imposing upon him the penalty of his sin. Hate and separation must cease,
and they will cease as the individual aspirant stamps them out in his own life.
The great error of the neutrally minded and of the pacifist is his refusal to identify
himself constructively with human pain. Even when he reacts with violent emotion over the
suffering, for instance, of little children in this great war, and of the defenceless
refugee, he does not truly care enough to do anything about the situation, involving as it
does sacrifice. This sounds harsh, but is a needed statement of fact. Sympathy which
does not produce positive action of some kind becomes a festering sore.
Thus, by
thought and word and deed, the lover of humanity will enter the battle against evil; with
complete self-forgetfulness, he will take up the cause of humanity, hiding not behind the
sense of futility and seeking no alibi in a misinterpreted idealism. He will face the
facts of the present situation in the light which streams from the vision itself. He will
then press forward into the age of right human relations, of spiritual unity and shared
resources with complete confidence because his sense of values is adjusted. He knows that
humanity has a divine mission which must be carried out on the wings of love, through
understanding action, selfless service and the willingness to die in battle if that is the
only way in which his brother can be served and freed. |
