POWER AND PEACE ARE INCOMPATIBLE

POWER AND PEACE ARE INCOMPATIBLE

TEJINDER NARANG

The very notion that political power will ensure peace in the nations or in the world or provide peace of mind personally or to the individuals or the public at large is highly presumptuous. Power is often gained through promises of serving the people either through elections or nominations-- but the veiled objective is to serve the “self /ego self” of a select minority. Man’s essential nature is first to love his own self and then follows welfare of others. 

The people in power are struggling because they are desperate to retain power and those who are out of power want to snatch that power, and thus both sides are in turmoil. The haves and have nots of power both lose tranquility of mind. And that manifests itself as a struggle of opponents or war or skirmishes—creating tense situations. One of the prime attributes of power is that it is transitory and must slip through from one hand to another—just like ice melts in to water, and vanishes or refrozen in another container.

Authority vested in an individual(s)/political parties creates a class of rulers/ leaders who regard themselves superior to rest of the public and population. Such disparities of superiority and inferiority breed imbalance in the society that is contrary to the Nature’s prescription of maintaining a balance in its own way. To mankind Nature seems to be running the world arbitrarily—but even if it be true (while it is not true from higher perspective)—men cannot arrogate the power of Nature to themselves to conduct their affairs arbitrarily.

In its pursuit of being more and more powerful, men and nations have been building political and military affiliations and arsenals since ages—starting from guns to Nuclear deterrents and electronic warfare but the peace has remained evasive.  

Today the most powerful and wealthiest nation of the world, USA, is stuck with –nothing to lose, North Korea. Who is more scared now—USA or North Korea??  Surely USA, with its GDP of $19 trillion, it will suffer a fatal blow versus N. Korea’s GDP of $28 billion or about 0.15% of USA’s GDP. Rest of the world including China, EU, India who too have intimate international economic linkages, will get a mortal blow—if USA or North Korea or any other intermediary  chooses to flex its military muscle. The world will be oblivious to the extinction of counterparties like North Korea. But powerful nations have more to lose than those with much lesser capabilities. Being powerful is no panacea for peace but extremely perilous.

The fight for controlling crude oil in Middle-East now appears to be short-sighted as the world would soon see alternative sources of energy. USA and some western nations joined hands to become “powerful parties” to the takeover of Iraqi regime in 2003. They spilled blood and killed thousands of men that the world is still living through the pain of that misadventure. One surely cannot build one’s kingdom of heaven on the hell of others. Islamic anger is now pitted against these very powers and they are so much alarmed that any incident of violence is first linked and checked with Muslim fundamentalism. Where is the peace of the Power??  West is equally worried about the very mutation of its demographic profiles with the immigrants from Middle –East moving to Europe.

President Trump wishes to make America “more powerful”. The Economists wrote on 11^th November 2017 editorial –“For all its flaws, America has long been the greatest force for good in the world, upholding the liberal order and offering an example of how democracy works. All that is imperilled by a president, who believes, that strong nations look out only for themselves. By putting “America First”, he makes it weaker, and the world worse off.”

India and Pakistan are daily fighting across the border. None dare use the nuclear option first. The threat of holocaust by nuclear explosion by either side chills the nervous system with thoughts of simultaneous destruction of hard earned national wealth of both sides. Can the tension of an unfriendly neighbour by being powerful helps? Instead mutual fear has diverted billion dollars of resources of both countries for acquiring lethal equipment and maintaining larger armed forces.

Power struggle is seen to be at peak in Gujarat that could be well recognised from media—and from social media, adding its own spices.  It is so believed that trend of power platform of 2019 elections will be decided by this tussle.  The nation, political parties and the voters will be part of this power turmoil till elections of 2019, as of now.

Though Charles Darwin prophesied “survival of the fittest” for the different species of Nature in diverse ecological conditions, men have applied this to creating division within the mankind itself. It is being misunderstood as rule of the strong over the weak. The law of Nature is –if strong rules the weak, then weak will rule the strong. The question—how that is feasible? Inherent feature of Nature is to maintain balance. Should that balance be disturbed or interrupted, Nature will support the weak to wreck the strong. And when Nature delivers its judgement it requires no judge or lawyer or witnesses or affidavits except that the principle of “as shall you sow so shall you reap” prevails. Men will not learn from such Natural interventions. And Nature will continue to its work as when needed.