The new group of world servers is not a new organization which is forming in the world. It is simply a loose linking together of all men of constructive peace aims and goodwill who lay the emphasis upon the prior need of establishing right human relations before any lasting peace is possible. This group in no way interferes with the allegiance and loyalties of any man. It is a banding together of all who seek to express the spirit of Christ and who are free from the spirit of hatred and revenge. The challenge of this group to the world is to drop all antagonisms and antipathies, all hatred and racial differences, and attempt to live in terms of the one family, the one life, and the one humanity.
The new group of world servers believes that (through the agency of goodwill) the new world order can be firmly established on Earth. Today, in the interim period of the war, preparation for reconstruction can go forward simultaneously with the effort to defeat the totalitarian powers.
The men and women of goodwill must not be energized into activity with the note of sacrifice. The war has exacted much of that from them. The clarion note of joy through goodwill activity must be sent out. Let the beauty of what can be, the glory of the vision and the spiritual, scientific and physical rebuilding of humanity be held before them, inspiring them to renewed effort.
Through the work earlier done all over the world by the men of vision and of goodwill, there exist today many thousands of people in Europe, America and elsewhere who are waiting for the guidance which will start them into right activity. In every land the men and women of goodwill are to be found, ready to respond to a clear call and intelligent organization in the service of reconstruction. Let them be found.
The message to be taught prior to any future peace consists of the following three clear and practical truths:
- That the errors and mistakes of past centuries, culminating in the present world war, are the joint errors and mistakes of humanity as a whole. This recognition will lead to the establishing of the principle of sharing, so needed in the world today.
- That there are no problems and conditions which cannot be solved by the will-to-good. Goodwill nourishes the spirit of understanding and fosters the manifestation of the principle of cooperation. This cooperative spirit is the secret of all right human relations and the enemy of competition.
- That there is a blood relationship between men which, when recognized, dissolves all barriers and ends the spirit of separativeness and hate. The peace and happiness of each is the concern, therefore, of all. This develops the Principle of responsibility and lays the foundation of right corporate action.
These are the basic beliefs of the men and women of goodwill and provide the incentive to all service and action. These three practical and scientific truths embody the three basic facts and the initial acceptance of all world servers. They are contrary to no world position, subversive of no government or religious attitude and are innate in the consciousness of all men, evoking immediate response. Their acceptance will “heal” international sores.
I call on all the men and women of goodwill in the world to study the principles of the new world order. I call upon them, as they fight for justice and the rights of the little nations and the future of the children of all nations, to begin to educate those whom they can reach, in right attitudes and in that foresighted vision which will make the mistakes of the past impossible in the future.
One basic divine attribute is not yet as strong as it should be in humanity – the attribute of forgiveness. It is still associated with magnanimity. It is not seen to be essentially a condition of future relation between all nations, based upon a recognition of our common humanity. Germany, under her misguided and evil rulers, needs forgiveness. All the great Powers have also sinned in some degree and all have grievously erred in the past. Germany has precipitated the evil which has come upon the world, but she has within herself the seeds of her own punishment; these seeds will not come to fruition if excessive punishment is inflicted from outside.
Three recognitions will save the world when the guns cease firing:
- The recognition of joint responsibility for past world conditions. The truth that “all have sinned” must be faced.
- The recognition that, though the German people weakly acquiesced in the rule of Hitler, they are basically the victims of an organized deception. Since 1914 they have been told only lies. The future new world order will inaugurate an era of truthful propaganda and national and international information.
- The recognition that the past has gone with all its evils, and that a future of unlimited possibilities for good and for constructive changes lies ahead. The future must be developed by all nations in the closest collaboration.
These three points must be constantly presented to the public in the simplest language, because it is the inert mass of unthinking people who will constitute the hardest problem. Appeal must be made to the best that is in them, because the immediate task ahead is the development of those right attitudes without which no peace can be lasting and justice will not be possible. Peace must not be imposed by those who hate war. Peace must be a natural outcome and expression of the human spirit, and of a determination to change the world attitude into one of right human relations.
This is no impossible idealistic dream, but an immediate possibility, given the spirit of forgiveness and goodwill. Patience will be required, because the nervous strain of war and pain and anxiety, fear and underfeeding will have to be reckoned with. Human beings will be the same as before the war, except for exhaustion and a willingness on the part of the majority to accept almost any terms which will allow them to live quietly again, free from the immediate fear of bombs and starvation and ruin. The great need will be for slow action, leaving time for the needed healing processes and adjustment before the final peace terms are settled by the nations, sitting in conclave. Nations will have to shift from a war footing to settled peace activities, and from the organized tensions of war to the comparative relaxations of peace. Disarmament must go forward as an initial move, but in such a manner that the question of unemployment is not unduly aggravated. The “turning of the cannon into plowshares” must be carried out with judgment, and only wide international planning can take care of this stupendous process. The settling of national boundaries and spheres of influence will be one of the utmost difficulty and can only be satisfactorily determined if goodwill is actively present and consciously used, and when the wishes of the people involved are consulted in a non-partisan spirit. The emphasis upon past historical boundaries as a determining factor is ever dangerous. Wise and slow action will here be needed and proper consideration of population desires. It is not the restoration of the ancient landmarks which is desirable, but the restoration of national and racial spheres of influence in accordance with the present situation.
It is not the imposition of any particular ideology upon the world, or its removal, which is of importance, but the establishing of those world conditions which will give all the nations adequate food, the necessities of life, and opportunity then to express themselves, and to make their unique contribution to the welfare of the whole family of nations.
The working details will have to be developed by all peoples in the closest collaboration. Men of vision, and not just politicians; world servers, and not just military leaders; and humanitarians, and not just the rulers of nations, must determine these tremendous issues. As they do so they must be able to count upon the support of the men and women of goodwill in every land. To sum up:
The interim between the present time and the final adjustment falls into two major periods and the practical work in each can be clearly defined:
- The interim between today and the cessation of war. This must be used in the following ways:
- To educate and stabilize all men and women of goodwill.
- To discover the workers, humanitarians and those men and women of understanding and vision who will respond to the principles here given.
- To prepare these men and women to work in unison for justice and right human relations in all countries after the cessation of the war.
- The interim between the end of the physical fighting and the final peace settlement. It is to be hoped – for the sake of justice – that this interlude will cover several years of rehabilitation and education. During these interludes between the past and the new world order, the men and women of goodwill can actively aid the statesmen of all nations by intelligent cooperation, in the planned focusing of enlightened public opinion, and in defining and teaching the real meaning of right human relations.
It is with the first interlude that we are now concerned.
It is desirable to get into immediate touch with those whose names are already known to you, and set them to work and let them – in their turn – find others, and guide them also into the way of reconstruction. Let all these names and addresses be gathered together in central and national mailing lists, but let them also be kept in both New York and London, for it is the task of the English speaking peoples to rebuild the world with the help of all other nations. There must, therefore, be some measure of centralization of the work and some way in which these people can be reached and swept into cooperative activity.
With goodwill to all, with a staunch belief in the divine possibilities of human beings and in the future resurrection of humanity, with an exalted recognition of God, with an acknowledgement of the fundamental values of Christ’s teaching, and with a joyful determination to go forward with the work of reconstruction, I call upon those who respond to this vision immediately to set to work.
I call you to no organizational loyalties, but only to love your fellowmen […]. I call you from your dreams of vague beauty, impossible Utopias and wishful thinking to face life as it is today; and then to begin, in the place where you are, to make it better. I call you to the experiment of right human relations, beginning with your own personal relations to your family and friends, and then to the task of educating those you contact so that they also start a similar work. It is the work of attaining right individual relations, right group relations, right inter-group relations, right national relations and right international relations. I call you to the realization that in this work no one is futile or useless, but that all have a place of practical value. I call you to recognize that goodwill is a dynamic energy which can bring about world changes of a fundamental kind, and that its mode of expression is through the activity of the individual man and woman and through their massed intent. The massed power of goodwill, the dynamic effect of intelligent and active understanding, and the potency of a trained and alive public opinion which desires the greatest good of the greatest number, are beyond belief. This dynamic power has never been employed. It can, today, save the world.
