Speech in Warsaw-Poland

Speech in Warsaw-Poland
BY Raja J.P. Bahadur Singh

(On the 3rd of June, 1929, Colonel Raja J.P. Bahadur Singh spoke in WARSAW, explaining necessity for Peace, the present day tendencies in Europe towards Peace, and the aims and the methods of operation of the Humanistic Club which he organized in India for promoting peace. The Lectures took place under the auspices of the INTELLECTUAL UNION in KARMIENICA DUKE'S MANSION. PROFESSOR LIEBINSKI took the chair, and an interpreter debuted by the Polish Foreign Office translated the speech into the Polish language.)

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The other day when going round the city, I came upon a statue of a great Policeman, Copernicus, who was the first to say that 'the Earth is round.' The people must have said in those days that he was mad or foolish; but truth is truth and today every child knows that 'the Earth is round.' So, I wondered within myself if it could be a Pole again who would be the first to say that the mentality of mankind can be raised to that level of civilization when every man understands his fellow-men and can realize the utility and necessity of unity, co-operation and goodwill, despite the inevitable difference of class, creed, rank, country or nationality. I have found some sympathizers in every country I visited, and in most places promises to work for my ideals have also been made. In Geneva where I began my work, they have opened a Humanistic Club. Corresponding Offices have been opened in all the other cities of Europe. I have visited. But I have not yet found a person of means who would work with head and heart for the establishment of peace and goodwill on earth.

I have no doubt found pacifist organizations in every country; but they are without means or foundation. There is, of course, the League of Nations; but the authority of such a highly-placed organization cannot reach the hearts of the general public-the men in the street and in the field who after all constitute the bulk of the population in every country. Mutual suspicion, fear and hatred have been the result of the Great War; and these are more between the several parties, classes and creeds than between nations themselves. Violent demonstrations between these antagonistic parties and classes are almost every day occurrence somewhere or other. These happenings are sufficient to cause distress, misery and even death to many. Troubled with such questions from day to day I thought of searching for some ways and means whereby we may be able to alleviate these sufferings by promoting better understanding between people of different classes, creeds, parties and countries.

In the West, you have made great progress in Science and Invention, especially during the last few decades. As a result of these inventions and discoveries we are to-day able to reach the farthest end of the earth in a few weeks and get the news of the remotest country in a few minutes.

On the other hand, we in the East, through long ages of contemplation and meditation, have attained to greater heights of knowledge in the sphere of Philosophy and Spirituality. But, however this may be, whatever Philosophy and Ethics we might have evolved and whatever scientific inventions you might have made, no one can deny or question such facts as 'the Sun rises in the East' In a similar way, no one can deny that all of us, whether of the East or of the West, whether of this country or that, want to live and made our lives as comfortable and happy as we can.

Now, the question to be considered is, 'What are the methods for the preservation of life and the attainment of comfort and happiness which we all want?' As far as I know, there are two methods: - the first, by doing way with everybody that stands in your way; the second, by persuading such people as sand in your way to unite and co-operate with you for the mutual preservation of life and the attainment of mutual comfort and happiness. In other words, one is by force and aggressiveness, the other by unity and co-operation. But, we see that the former methods are mainly adopted by animals, while men, being endowed with the capacity of reason and deliberation, which is denied to animals, generally adopted the latter methods.

Now, the cause of all mischief, misery and distress is when man forgets his superiority over the animal, sinks to the level of the beast, and employees force and aggressiveness for the preservation of his life. The animal employees force and brutality, because it has not the capacity of reason and deliberation; but men, possessing this faculty, have learnt through long centuries of progress and enlightenment that with mutual co-operation and goodwill they can preserve their lives more easily and comfortable than through the use of mutual aggressiveness. As a result of this knowledge there is found greater unity and co-operation among men than among the animals. Among the animal, each lives by itself, independent of the co-operation or assistance of others, whereas among human beings each has to depend on the co-operation of others for the very preservation of life. Whether for the food he has to eat to preserve his life, or for the cloths he has to wear to protect himself from could, or for the house he has to live in to shield himself from sun and rain, each man has to depend on the co-operation of his fellow-men. But people every often forget this law of Dependence and Interdependence, the result being war and strife, division and discord.

It was therefore with the purpose of reminding the people of every country that the law of life is mutual dependence and co-operation and not mutual hatred and fear, and that in the atmosphere of unity and co-operation men can live more happily than in an atmosphere of constant ill-will, jealousy, fear and discord, that I started the Humanistic Club in India. But, as such an object cannot be realized by one man's efforts or by limiting one's activities to one county only, I cam over to Europe, carrying an entreaty to the people of every country to co-operate with me in my mission.

During the two or three months that I have been in Europe, I have visited several countries, lecturing in Geneva, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, and today here in Warsaw, Naturally, I have had opportunities for coming into contact with several persons and organizations working with a similar aim. In traveling thus from country to country, it has been my object not only to give expression to my ideas about the promotion of peace and goodwill, but also to learn what other people have thought out in this line. So far I have not been able to come upon any practical and constructive suggestions of value. But, several persons have passed their opinions on the question of lasting peace and its possibility. I have met a number of people who said that, until and unless all inequality between men and man both in wealth and position disappears, there can be no lasting peace and goodwill on earth. They say that peace and goodwill can exist only where there is friendship; and for friendship, the first condition is equality. So, in their opinion, unless all difference of rank and wealth are abolished, the realization or peace and goodwill is impossible.

There are some others who declare that, in order that there be peace, there must be no hunger and starvation, while there are others who do not believe in the possibility of peace at all. Man is a fighting animal, they say: he has always been fighting and will always fight.

Coming to the question whether equality in wealth and status is necessary for the existence of peace, I think that such an equality is impossible. If to-day you stored all the wealth of the world in a heap and distributed it among the people of the word in equal measure, after the laps of some time you will find that conditions have gone back to the old states, and that some are poor, some are rich, while a few are almost starving. Though to-day we did away with all differences of rank and status, the same condition will not prevail for ever. Some who are stronger will assert their authority, while those who are weaker will obey that authority. In as much as people are not equal in their intellectual capacities, there can be no equality in position or wealth; for, the acquisition of wealth or the maintenance of authority depends on the character and quality of the brain; and, as there is no equality in this, there can be no equality in the other.

So, lasting equality either in respect of wealth or position is impossible. But there is a certain equality which is not only possible, but essentially necessary for the establishment of peace; and this is EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY. If all men, irrespective of wealth position, classes, county or creed, are allowed equal opportunities, it will certainly be laying the foundation-stone for the structure of universal peace and goodwill.

As regards the question that there should be no hunger and starvation, and sensible man would certainly agree with the point and try to relieve this suffering for mankind. It is also one of the aims of the Humanistic Club; but ill it gets full support from various countries, it is premature for me to say that we are for relieving this suffering or that suffering. At the same time, the hunger stricken will be ill-advised if we say to them that the only remedy for their suffering is the use of violence or brutality.

Now, coming to the point that man has always been a fighting animal and that wars and battles will never disappear, I answer that those who say this preach a pessimistic doctrine that is contradictory to the history of human evolution. Was there not a time in the remote past when men lived like animals suspecting the fearing one another ? But, as time went on, men learnt more and more the utility of unity and co-operation. At first, they formed themselves into families, then into tribes; then they built villages, then towns and cities, and then founded nations and empires. Thus throughout the ages the story of man's evolution is simply the story of growing co-operation and unity.

But, the last Great War has completely changed the mentality of the people of the world. Though each party, class, creeds or country professes its desire and willingness for peace, each of them has some complaint or other to make against some other party, class, creed or country. So, I found both in the East and in the West that no country is free from suspicion, fear and hatred which are the chief causes for all the troubles, beginning from individual quarrels to national wars. Therefore as an antidote to help people get rid of this suspicion, fear and hatred, the Humanistic Club was organized by me; and I have been suggesting everywhere to make similar attempts by organizing institutions to remind men of the states of civilization they have attained and the duty of each man as a human being as distinct from the animal.

I spent a very interesting and instructive morning the other day visiting some of your charitable and benevolent institutions. I saw the orphanage where they take care of the homeless and fatherless children, the workhouse for the old and disabled artisans and workmen, and the health office for a certain district of the city. The very good and benevolent work in all these organizations impressed me greatly. Most of the European countries have similar very well conducted organizations doing humanitarian and charitable work. But the humanistic ideas that I advocate, though they include this charitable aspect also, do not end there.

The Humanistic Club aspires to collect all that is good for every aspect of human life from every country, from every religion, from every source, and to spread the same though its members as far and wide as possible. If you feel interested, you can help the institution with your useful suggestion for the common benefit of mankind.

I have been suggesting make this attempt in every country to unite the people of different classes, parties and ranks. When a country or nation is thus consolidated, then work among its neighboring countries gradually enlarges the circle of goodwill till it becomes world-wide. The question of disarming the nations may be then appropriately broached when people will have learnt the necessity for peace, unity and co-operation in the interest of their own safety, comfort and happiness. But, it is high time that an organized effort where made to inculcate these ideas of peace and goodwill in the minds of the general public of every country.

TOP

» Europe

» Russia

»USA

» Japan

» China