TOWARDS RESOLVING THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW
TOWARDS RESOLVING THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW
If world affairs are to be transformed in such a way as to lead to the establishment of right human relations, it is essential that the new values emerge into the livingness of humanity. Yet, as these values are emerging into human expression it is evident that they are coming into conflict with the outmoded values which are characteristic of the past.
Where there should be inclusiveness, cooperation, sharing and responsibility for the common good, there is found separation, competition, greed and irresponsibility. Standing amidst the conflict between the old and the new are the people of goodwill throughout the world. Seeking to establish right human relations, they constitute a worldwide group which will be the agent whereby world affairs are transformed. Yet facing this problem, they face a fundamental challenge: how can the conflict between the old and the new be resolved?
A first step towards answering this question is to examine conflict from the perspective of force. Essentially, a conflict is the collision of two opposing forces. In human life, force can take the form of an idea, an aspiration, a desire, or a physical action. Another characteristic of force is the will, intention, or motivation which impels it along a direction. Where forces come together in mental, emotional, or physical form, and their impelling intentions are in opposition to each other, conflict will result.
A look at world affairs from this perspective reveals two great forces struggling for dominance in all areas. There is an evolutionary force seeking to establish right human relations, a new civilisation and a new consciousness: and there is also an involutionary force present in the forms and life conditions which are impeding the evolutionary unfoldment of the human kingdom.
The evolutionary force is the force of divinity itself, striving always for more perfect manifestation in matter. Those who affirm a divine principle in man and the universe should not overlook the implication that this principle must necessarily be unfolding in world affairs. It is ever present in the visions, ideas, values and ideals which are intended to guide humanity towards its next divine achievement during any period of world history.
Today the evolutionary force demonstrates in the vision of the one humanity and a global civilisation based upon unity amidst diversity. It is present in the values of inclusiveness, cooperation, sharing and responsibility for the common good which must now characterise international politics, world economics, race relations, religion – all areas of human life. The evolutionary force manifests through all those actions taken by humanity which are leading it to a spiritual and physical realisation of its unity.
In contrast, the involutionary force takes the form of the entrenched ancient ideals and habits of thought which have served their purpose in bringing the race to its present point of development, but which must now disappear if the new age is to be ushered in as desired. The involutionary force is the inertia of those separative and selfish tendencies which, if they were permitted to dominate, would lead to the imprisonment of the life force and to eventual destruction.
Understanding the basic conflict in world affairs in terms of force, the role of people of goodwill becomes evident: to balance the forces leading to disintegration and destruction by embodying in themselves the forces of integration and construction which will establish the new world order.
The word “embody” holds the key to the understanding of how goodwill can harmonise the conflict between the old and the new in such a way as will contribute to the unfoldment of the divine Plan. Webster's Dictionary defines embody as “to give a body to; to render concrete and definite.” To embody the evolutionary force, men and women of goodwill must give this force form in their own lives through their words, aspirations and actions. In this way they are serving as channels for a force which will create the new world order.
Through the embodiment of the evolutionary force there is a focus upon the building of those forms which will lead to the emergence of the new age, and by means of this focus upon building, attention is drawn away from the attacking of those forms which are hindering progress. Thus, a gradual tendency to stabilisation and harmony results.
The conflict between the old and the new will not be resolved satisfactorily through the attacking of those forms which embody the involutionary force. Attack leads only to greater divisiveness and separation and to greater defensiveness and, therefore, entrenchment of those forms one is seeking to replace. Let the individual “resist not evil, but so organise and mobilise the good and so strengthen the hands of the workers on the side of righteousness and love that evil will find less opportunity.”
The recognition of the principle of nurturing the positive rather than criticising the negative is evident in recent developments in the youth movement and in the work of the United Nations. Commentators on the youth movement have remarked that the relative quiescence of youth during recent years is not due so much to apathy as it is to the recognition that the only realistic way of transforming the world is not by attacking existing conditions as embodied in “the establishment,” but by taking an active part in the positive transformation of those conditions. As one popular slogan has expressed it, “If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” Similarly, a significant portion of the United Nations’ efforts is devoted to peace-building, the building of cooperative and interdependent relationships in many areas of human activity which will serve as a foundation for a new world order.
Today, the positive evolutionary force is impending in every area of human life. Men and women of goodwill who recognise that their lives are inextricably interrelated with the whole and that they affect the whole through the force of their ideas, aspirations and actions, need to learn to embody in their lives that force which will lead to the emergence of the new man and new civilisation. This will require learning how to discern both the evolutionary and involutionary forces as they manifest in world affairs.
As men and women throughout the world increasingly take an active part in fostering the evolutionary force of divinity, the balance in world affairs will then shift, leading humanity to its next great achievement.