This problem is far more complicated and deep-seated than
might appear at the first glance. Had we only to deal with the national
psychoses and the mental conditions induced by the act of war and participation
in it, the problem would be acute enough but it could be solved easily by the
restitution of security, by the sound psychological treatment of the differing
nationalities, by their physical rehabilitation and by the restoration of
liberty, opportunity, leisure and, above all, by the organization of the men
and women of goodwill. This latter group would show themselves as willing to
carry forward the needed educational processes and (which is far more
important) they would endeavour to convey spiritual inspiration—something which
humanity sorely needs at this time. There are enough men and women of goodwill
in the world today to accomplish this if they can be reached, inspired and
supported in their endeavour, both materially and spiritually.
The situation is far more difficult than a casual analysis
would make it seem. The psychological problem involved has a background which
is centuries old, which is inherent in the soul of each individual nation and
which is potently conditioning the minds of all their peoples today. It is here
that our major difficulty lies and it is one which will not easily give way to
any effort or to any spiritual endeavour, whether carried out by the organized
churches (which show a woeful lack of appreciation of the problem) or by
spiritually minded groups and individuals.
The work to be done is so acutely needed and the perils of
its non-accomplishment are so appalling that it is necessary to indicate
certain major lines of danger and certain national aptitudes which carry a
menace to the peace of the world. These problems fall naturally into two
categories:
I.
The internal, psychological problems of the
individual nations.
II.
Major world problems, such as the relation
between nations and business and the forces of labour.
Before the world can be a safer, sweeter, saner and more
beautiful place, all the nations must take stock of themselves and begin to
handle their own psychological weaknesses and complexes. Each nation must aim
at sound mental health and endeavour to implement sound, psychological
objectives. International unity must be attained and this should be based not
only upon mutual trust but also upon correct world objectives and true
psychological understanding.
Men and women everywhere are already striving towards individual
betterment; groups in every nation are similarly motivated; the urge to move
forward into greater beauty of expression, of character and of living
conditions is the outstanding eternal characteristic of mankind. In the earlier
stages of racial history, this urge showed itself in a desire for better
material circumstances and surroundings; today, this urge expresses itself in a
demand for beauty, leisure and culture; it voices the opportunity to work
creatively and passes gradually but inevitably into the stage where right human
relations become of prime importance.
Today a great and unique opportunity faces every nation.
Hitherto the problem of psychological integration, of intelligent living, of
spiritual growth and of divine revelation has been approached solely from the
angle of man, the unit. Owing to the scientific achievements of mankind (as a
result of the unfolding human intellect), it is now possible to think in far
wider terms and to see humanity in a truer perspective. Our horizon is extending
into infinity; our eyes are no longer focussed upon our immediate foreground.
The family unit is now recognized in relation to the community, and the
community is seen as an integral and effective part of the city, state or
nation. Dimly, and as yet ineffectually, we are projecting this same concept
into the field of international relations. Thinkers throughout the world are
functioning internationally; this is the guarantee of the future because only
when men can think in these wider terms will the fusion of all men everywhere
become possible, will brotherhood come into being and humanity be a fact in our
consciousness.
Most men today think in terms of their own nation or group
and this is their largest concept; they have progressed beyond the stage of
their individual physical and mental well-being and are visioning the
possibility of adding their quota of usefulness and of stability to the
national whole; they are seeking to be cooperative, to understand and to
further the good of the community. This is not rare but is descriptive of many
thousands in every nation. This spirit and attitude will some day characterize
the attitude of nation to nation. At present this is not so, and a very
different psychology rules. Nations seek and demand the best for themselves, no
matter what the cost to others; they regard this as a right attitude and as
characteristic of good citizenship. Nations are coloured by hatreds and
prejudices, many of which are as unwarranted today as foul language in a
religious meeting. Nations are split and divided within themselves by racial
barriers, by party differences and by religious attitudes. This inevitably
brings disorder and finally disaster.
An intense spirit of nationalism—assertive and
boastful—distinguishes the citizens of most countries, particularly in relation
to each other. This breeds dislike, distrust and the disruption of right human
relations. All nations are guilty of these qualities and attitudes, expressed
according to their individual culture and genius. All nations, as all families,
have also in them groups or individuals who are recognized sources of trouble
to the well-intentioned remainder. There are nations within the international
community which are and have been for a long time disrupting agencies.
The problem of the interplay and interaction of the nations
is largely a psychological one. The soul of a nation is potent in its effect.
The national thoughtform (built up over the centuries by the thinking, the
goals and the ambitions of a nation) constitutes its ideal objective and is
most effective in conditioning the people. A Pole, a Frenchman, an American, a
Hindu, a Britisher or a German are easily recognized, no matter where they may
be. This recognition is not based solely upon appearance, intonation or habits
but primarily upon the expressed mental attitude, the sense of relativity and a
general national assertiveness. These indications express reaction to the
particular national thoughtform under which the man has been raised. If this
reaction makes him a good cooperative citizen within the national boundaries,
that is good and to be desired. If it makes him assertive, arrogant, critical
of the nationals of other countries and separative in his thinking, he is then
contributing to world disunity and, en masse, to international disruption. This
menaces the peace of the world. The problem, therefore, becomes one in which
all people share. Nations can be (and often are) anti-social, and all nations
have within them these anti-social elements.
Self-interest distinguishes most men at this time, with
attendant weaknesses. Yet, in all countries, there are those who have outgrown
these self-centred attitudes and there are many who are more interested in
civic and the national good than in themselves. A few, a very few in relation
to the mass of men, are internationally minded and preoccupied with the welfare
of humanity, as a whole. They eagerly desire recognition of the one world, of
the one humanity.
The stage of national selfishness and the fixed
determination to preserve national integrity—interpreted often in terms of
boundaries and the expansion of trade—must gradually fade out. The nations must
pass eventually to a more beneficent realization and come to the point where
they regard their national cultures, their national resources and their ability
to serve mankind as the contributions which they must make to the good of the
whole. Emphasis upon worldly possessions or extensive territory is no sign of
maturity; fighting to preserve these or to expand them is a sign of adolescent
immaturity. Mankind is now growing up; only now is humanity demonstrating a
wider sense of responsibility, of ability to handle its problems or to think in
larger terms. The late world war was symptomatic of immaturity, of adolescent thinking,
of uncontrolled childish emotions and of a demand—by anti-social nations—for
that which does not belong to them. Like children, they cry for
"more".
The intense isolationism and the "hands off"
policy of certain groups in the United States, the demand for a white Australia
or South Africa, the cry of "America for the Americans", or British
Imperialism, the shouting of France for recognition, are other instances. They
all indicate inability to think in larger terms; they are an expression of
world irresponsibility; they indicate also the childishness of the race which
fails to grasp the extent of the whole of which each nation is a part. War and
the constant demand for territorial boundaries, based on ancient history, the
holding on to material, national possessions at the expense of other people
will seem some day to a more mature race of men like nursery quarrels over some
favourite toy. The challenging cry of "This is mine" will some day no
longer be heard. In the meantime, this aggressive, immature spirit culminated
in the war of 1914-1945. A thousand years hence, history will regard this as
the acme of childish selfishness, started by grasping children who could not be
stopped in their aggressive ways because the other nations were still too childish
to take strong action when the first indications of the war were seen.
The race faces a new crisis of opportunity wherein new
values can be seen as important, wherein the establishing of right human
relations will be deemed desirable, not only from the idealistic point of view
but also from the purely selfish angle. Some day the principles of cooperation
and of sharing will be substituted for those of possessive greed and
competition. This is the inevitable next step ahead for humanity—one for which
the entire evolutionary process has prepared mankind.
It was selfishness and self-interest which prevented several
nations from siding with the Forces of Light; they preserved a selfish
neutrality and lengthened the war by years. Is it not possible that when Germany
first marched into Poland and when France and Great Britain consequently
declared war upon Germany, if the entire civilized world of nations (without
exception) had likewise declared war and banded together for the defeat of the
aggressor, the war would not have lasted as long as it did? Interior politics,
international jealousies, ancient distrusts and hatreds, fear and a refusal to
recognize the facts produced disunity. Had all nations seen clearly and
renounced their individual selfishness in 1939, the war would have been over
much earlier. Had all the nations swung into action when Japan first went into
Manchuria or Italy into Ethiopia, the war which has devastated the entire
planet would not have been possible. To that extent, there is no nation without
blame.
It is needful to make this clear so that there may be
straight thinking as we face the world of today and begin to take the steps
which will, in due course of time, lead to world security. This period should
be faced by every nation with a sense of individual guilt and of innate
psychological failure. It is hard to admit that none of the nations (including
our own) has clean hands, and that all are guilty of greed and theft, of
separativeness, of pride and prejudice, as well as national and racial hatreds.
All nations have much interior housecleaning to do and this they must carry
forward along with their outer efforts to bring about a better and more
habitable world. It must be a world consciousness, motivated by the idea of the
general good, one in which higher values than individual and national gain are
emphasized and one in which people are trained in right national citizenship
upon the one hand and on the other in the responsibility for world citizenship.
Is this too idealistic a picture? The guarantee of its
possibility lies in the fact that thousands today are thinking along these
idealistic lines; thousands are occupied with planning a better world and
thousands are talking about the possibility. All ideas which emanate from the
divine in man and nature eventually become ideals (even though somewhat
distorted in the process) and these ideals finally become the governing
principles of the masses. This is the true sequence of the historical process.
It might be of value to study briefly some of the
psychological adjustments which the nations must make within their own borders,
because reform begins at home. Then let us look at the world picture and gain a
new vision. There is a scientific basis for the old statement in the Bible that
"where there is no vision, the people perish".
History indicates a long past of battle, of war, of changing
frontiers, of the discovery and prompt annexation of new territory, involving
the subjugation of the original inhabitants, sometimes greatly to their benefit
but always inexcusable. The spirit of nationalism and its growth is the
background of modern history as taught in our schools, feeding national pride,
engendering national enmities, racial hatreds and jealousies. History concerns
itself with the lines of demarcation between countries and with the type of
rule each country developed. These lines of demarcation are fiercely held and
passports, as instituted this century, indicate the crystallization of the
idea. History portrays the fierce determination of every nation to preserve its
boundaries at any cost, to keep its culture and civilization intact, to add to
them when possible and to share nothing with any other nation except for
commercial profit, for which international legislation is provided. Yet all the
time humanity is one humanity and the products of the earth belong to all. This
wrong attitude has not only fostered the sense of separateness but has led to
the exploitation of the weaker groups by the stronger and the wrecking of the
economic life of the masses by a mere handful of powerful groups.
Ancient habits of mass thinking and of mass reaction are
difficult to overcome. It is here that the main battleground of the world is
found. Public opinion will have to be re-educated. The nations are reverting to
the deep-seated modes of behaviour and thought which have characterized them
for generations. We need, in the general interest, to face up to our past, to
recognize the new trends, to renounce the old ways of thinking and acting if
humanity is not to descend to greater depths than in the last war.
The voices of the old order and the demand of the
reactionary elements can be heard in every country, plus the demands of certain
radical groups. Because they have been so long established, the voices of the
conservatives carry weight and because humanity is tired, almost any action
will be taken to ensure a rapid return to the normalcy, demanded by the
conservatives, unless those who have the new vision act with promptness and
with wisdom—and of this there is too little indication at this time.
Please read the rest at: http://edgeba.webs.com/psychologicalrehabilitation.htm
[PROBLEMS OF HUMANITY, 1947, pp. 6-31]
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