Global Oneness: New Global Order and Oneness Principle

By A K Merchant

Thirty years ago the historian Arnold Toynbee and Daisaku Ikeda, head of the Japanese Buddhist Soka Gokkai International, discussed at length various pertinent issues, trying to discern the future direction that our world must take if it is to survive these "times of the end".

Toynbee remarks, "...The question of mankind's future religion arises because all the current religions have proved unsatisfactory... A future religion that is to bring into being, and to keep in being, a new civilisation will have to be one that will enable mankind to contend with, and to overcome, the evils that are serious present threats to human survival.

Among the most formidable of these evils are the oldest: greed, which is as old as life itself, and war and social injustice, which are as old as civilisation.

A new evil that is hardly less formidable is the artificial environment that mankind has created through application of science and technology in the service of greed".

Echoing similar views Ikeda said: "... The religion that we need must inspire mankind's scientific and philosophical spirits and must be able to meet the needs of a new age. It must be a religion that can go beyond the differences between East and West and, binding all mankind into a unified body, save the Occident from its present crisis and the Orient from its current hardships. Discovering this kind of religion is the greatest task before mankind today".

The enduring legacy of the 20th century is that it has compelled the peoples of the world to begin seeing themselves as members of one human family and of the Earth as its common homeland.

Indeed, humanity's urge to live in harmony and peace with each other and especially to establish peace among religions is not new. The passion invested in the struggle, despite its disheartening results, testifies to the depth of the need.

Without a common conviction about the course and direction of human history, it is inconceivable that foundations can be laid for a global society to which the mass of humankind can commit themselves.

Recognition of the fundamental spiritual principle of our age, the oneness of humanity, must be at the heart of any new civilisation. Universal acceptance of this principle will both necessitate and make possible major restructuring of the world's educational, social, agricultural, industrial, economic, legal and political systems.

This is the only way the dream of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world as one united family) can be fulfilled. "That which God hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith", Baha'u'llah proclaimed over a century ago.

World spiritual leaders should strive to not let crises to cast doubt on the ultimate outcome of the process that is occurring.

The way to go is to nurture faith and resolve, so that we can overcome all the hardships and anxieties that are bound to arise during any period of great change.

While the old order gives way to the new, as individuals, we have an important role to play: To stand steadfast in the face of adversity and believe in the unity of humankind.

(The Parliament of World Religions will meet in Barcelona, Spain, July 7-14, to discuss issues of peace, diversity and sustainability. The author is director, Baha'i office of External Affairs and Inter-faith Activities.)