A right narrative of peace
Rationality is only weapon against war. Albert Schweitzer, a winner of 1952 Noble Peace Prize, articulates:“Wars are conducted because of lack of highest rationality among human beings.” Recently, the voices of wars between two militarily well-equipped democratic countries are being heard. Particularly, the non-professional Indian media and irrational analysts are pushing their government to take military action against Pakistan, and punish it by waging war in spite of expecting sever reaction of Pakistan after violation of its territorial boundaries a few day back. In spite of talking about what happened, it is more appropriate to talk about the future for bringing about peace between the two nuclear powers.
In the contemporary era, a few in the Indian government are backing up to take the initiative of peace efforts. The question arises, why are they not ready to give a chance to peace, and which are the detrimental factors which are impelling the emotionally crippled Indian government after Pakistan’s sound retaliation? There is a dire need of philosophical analysis of the psychic patterns of the Indian government, analysts and proponents of war which are forcing them to exasperate the ongoing conditions of peace.
In fact, roots of the Indian aggression against humanity could be traced back to the philosophical notions of Albert Schweitzer’s concept of “reverence for life” in which he refers to the advanced level of rationality in human beings by removing behavioral barriers in their attitudes towards nature and other living creatures. He further argues that all living creatures are significant and have right to live but rational faculty in human beings make them more significant than other living creatures. The rational faculty calls for great humanistic and ethical treatment towards other living entities. Human beings are important because of their rational faculty. It impels them to think and behave critically rather than emotionally.
Usage of the highest rationality fosters human beings to preserve not only human existence but also of the rest of the world which includes nature, plants, animals and even tinny insects.
According to Schweitzer, millions of human beings have been killed, uncountable plants and animals have been destroyed due to wars and bloody conflicts, and environment has been polluted because of the usage of chemical weapons but no one, in reality, could win any war. The most disgusting element is that every nation has a number of justifications over killing other human fellows. Furthermore, Albert Schweitzer tries to address the philosophical question about war by human beings against their human fellows and what can help wipe out the element of war to avoid suffering and pain. He says that the human beings, who pose a great threat to humanity and other living creatures and do not possess the highest rationality and reverence for life. If all human beings start to respect other lives, there would be no war, no conflict and no sufferings for any human being.
Every event of human beings that harms other humans and living entities is because of absence of highest rationality among human beings. Thus, the conclusion could be driven from the philosophical notions of Albert Schweitzer who presented – after American nuclear attacks on Japan -the philosophy of “reverence for life” to thwart any nuclear attack in future that Indian media and the lobby of the BJP possess the lowest level of rationality and sense as they are misusing nationalism to create an environment of confrontation that could pave the way for nuclear war, and once again in human history human beings, birds, trees, plants and every living entity will swelter in the heat of the fire.
People from both sides should accelerate their rational faculty in order to make it more advanced to think and behave ethically as well as critically. That is the time for both nations to wage war against poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, lawlessness, stopping violation of human rights, corruption, women subjugation, rape, and such kind of other social and economic constraints which have been creating hindrance to their development. Highest rationality should be given space not only on public level, but also in media houses, policy making houses, and barracks of the Armed forces. The international community should also exert its influence on the Indian government to not use human beings as shelter to gain political benefits. The notions of “reverence for life’’ are to be followed in Indian occupied Kashmir by stopping all sorts of violation against all living creatures. If it does not happen, then attacks, like Pullwama and Uri, are expected to take place in the future.