The concept of One World is fascinating
indeed. Behind every attempt at permanent world peace
and even in the background of world organisations, snob
as the League of Nations and the United Nations
Organisation, there lurks the hope that one day there
will be One World. Whatever the shape of that One
World, we all hope that war as an instrument of solving
conflicts Of interests shall have no longer any place
in human affairs. Instead, there will be peaceful ways
of resolving conflicts-through friendliness and mutual
help and cooperation towards common ends. One World and
World Peace are practically synonymous. Neither of them
can exist without the other. The strong desire and the
frequent attempts for both are rooted in the hunger of
the human heart for peace and happiness.
How heartening it is to imagine that when there is One
World, all the natural and human resources, all the
sciences and technology which are today being
marshalled and arrayed for destructive purposes will be
used for the elimination of poverty, ill-health and
ignorance. They shall be used for promoting goodwill
and for creating better conditions of life for the
whole of humanity. Though this rosy picture is today
the privilege only of the poets and the dream of
idealists, there is no doubt that this is the cherished
hope of every one who strives for peace. It has been
the living faith of persons like Gandhi.
He once wrote: "Not to believe in the possibility of
permanent peace is to disbelieve in the godliness of
human nature."
Both World Peace and One World are inherent in Gandhi's
philosophy and the Gandhi-an way of life. He believed
in Truth and for him Truth was God. Man may deny the
existence of God. Very many have an agnostic attitude.
But none dare deny Truth, though people may have
different conceptions about particular truth.. Truth is
a matter of experience. To deny Truth would be to deny
cue's own existence. But what was far more important in
the case of Gandhi was his declaration that "There is
no way to find Truth except the way of non-violence:
"Non-violence was not merely an ethical principle nor a
temporary policy. His nonviolence was a positive
principle, the principle of love which springs from the
inner experience of the identity of interest with those
whom we love.
He once declared, "All life is one"; for him life meant
not only human beings, but all sentient creatures. He
said, "Non-violence is not a mechanical thing. You do
not become non-violent by merely saying I shall not use
force'. It must be felt in the heart... When there is
that feeling it will express itself through some
action." That action, for Gandhi, was ceaseless service
of mankind. His constructive approach to life, his
whole constructive programme of action for the
betterment of human life at all levels, arose out of
him intense love, his deep sense of identity with all
life and with the whole of humanity. "My constructive
programme is rooted in non-violence" he said.
For Gandhi, man was the measure of all things. The
basic purpose of human life was to reach higher levels
of consciousness; man was mind and
consciousness more than body and the senses.
Therefore, Gandhi emphasised the spiritual progress of
man. He carried on a relentless quest of Truth, of the
Truth of life, of the law. and discipline necessary for
elevating the human soul. He came to the conclusion
that love was the law of the human species and not
violence 'which seemed to reign supreme in the animal
kingdom. He saw that truthfulness and non-violent
adherence to it through thick and thin strengthened the
human soul. Purification of the mind by purging
selfishness and strengthening of it by selfless service
was a positive step in developing soul-power. It was
this kind of developed soul-force which he hurled
against all evil and injustice which he came
across.
Gandhi realised that if the embodied human spirit was
to progress, muffled as it was by selfish desire, man
must be free, full of dignity, and earnest about his
own advance. Socially, all men and women, irrespective
of caste, creed, or sex must be equal and be given
equal opportunities. Thus he conceived a world in which
all would be equal and all would uphold the dignity of
each and help achieve spiritual progress.
Seemingly, his earlier life and youthful energy were
devoted to the cause of equal rights for Indian
residents in South Africa. After coming to India, he
engaged himself mainly in the struggle for Indian
independence.
But never for a moment was the cause of
the whole of humanity or of world peace and harmony out
of his mind. In fact, Tolstoy, in one of his letters to Gandhi
while he was fighting for the rights of Indians in
Transvaal, 'wrote that 'what Gandhi was doing in
Transvaal was of world significance. He referred to the
purity of the means which Gandhi adopted to fight evil
which in South Africa had taken the form of racial
injustice. Gandhi too was well aware of his mission in
life, that of 'peace on earth and goodwill unto men.'
He wrote in Young India (12.l.1928), "my ambition is
much higher than independence. Through the deliverance
of India, I seek to deliver the so-called weaker races
of the earth from the crushing heels of Western
exploitation... India's coming into her own will mean
every nation doing likewise." This has proved
prophetic
He wrote more expressly on this subject many a time. He
said, "Through the realisation of freedom of India, I
hope to realize and carry on the mission of the
brotherhood of man." There has been no greater advocate
of one humanity in One World, and no stronger opponent
of violence and war than Gandhi, for, his faith in
non-violence was absolute and he believed that peaceful
means alone could lead to peaceful ends.
