Chapter XIII. Does Our World Belong Any More to One Than to Another?

Mankind United, by Arthur Bell, [1936], at sacred-texts.com

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CHAPTER XIII.

DOES OUR WORLD BELONG

ANY MORE TO ONE THAN TO ANOTHER

?

ALL PLANS OF "ECONOMIC SECURITY" WHICH HAVE EVER BEEN ADOPTED BY THE HUMAN RACE—(WHETHER PROPOSED AS A POLICY OF GOVERNMENT OR UNDER THE SPONSORSHIP OF THE VARIOUS RELIGIOUS ORDERS OF THE DAY)—HAVE BEEN TRIED AND TESTED, YET THEY HAVE "ALL" FAILED.

EVERY KNOWN METHOD OF PRODUCING AND DISTRIBUTING THE NECESSITIES AND LUXURIES OF LIFE AND OF PROVIDING PEACE AND SECURITY FOR THE HUMAN RACE HAS BEEN TRIED "EXCEPT ONE;" BUT THIS "ONE" NOT EVEN THE WORLD'S MOST TRUSTED LEADERS HAVE "DARED" TO RECOMMEND,—FOR "SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES" HAS PRODUCED A RACE OF "MORAL COWARDS."

Fear of ridicule or criticism occupies such an important place in human thought that no one with influence and power in public life, and to whose voice all the world would listen, has dared to suggest the "One" and "Only" plan of human relationship which—if applied to the

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production and distribution of the needs of human life—could successfully solve the all-important problem of bringing to pass the "Peace on Earth" and "Good Will Among Men" for which mankind have ceaselessly prayed throughout countless ages.

This "One" solution has never been tried because of the fact that those who know enough to make such a recommendation,—and who have sufficient power and influence to enforce it,—would be obliged to sacrifice their precious egotistical belief in their own "superiority" and the conviction that, because of their exalted positions, they deserve a "greater share" of the world's goods than their fellows. This "One" solution might be described in just "two" words—if men were unselfish enough to recognize and acknowledge their true import and intended meaning. Yes; if the plan for ending poverty and war were founded upon the "Spirit" as well as the "Letter" of Christ Jesus’ "Golden Rule," and if men were not too egotistical to accept a system established upon "Absolute Economic Equality,"—the concept of "One for All and All for One,"—then there would be no difficulty in completely describing the solution of these age-old world problems with just two words:—"MANKIND UNITED."

Whether men are black or yellow, white or red, tall or short, stout or thin, they are nevertheless the children of "identically" the same Creator as ourselves and, whether we like it or not, they are still our brothers and sisters, with "identically" the same rights of occupancy of this world home and the use of all it contains as the greatest

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genius or the most sublime egotist—either man or woman—who has ever trod this globe.

OF THOSE WHO HAVE OCCUPIED EITHER THE "MOST LOWLY" OR THE "MOST SOUGHT AFTER" STATIONS IN HUMAN LIFE, NONE HAVE EVER BROUGHT EVEN ONE LOAF OF BREAD WITH THEM WHEN THEY ARRIVED HERE, NOR HAVE YET SUCCEEDED IN REMOVING OR TAKING EVEN ONE LOAF OF BREAD WITH THEM WHEN THEY LEFT. EACH NORMAL MAN OR WOMAN ARRIVES WITH THE SAME NUMBER OF HANDS AND FEET, BUT THEY COME WITH THEIR HANDS EMPTY AND NO SHOES ON THEIR FEET, AND THEY LEAVE THE SAME WAY. THEY BRING NO PROOFS OF THEIR SUPERIORITY WITH THEM WHEN THEY COME AND THEY TAKE NONE WITH THEM WHEN THEY GO. DURING THEIR LIFETIME HERE, THE SUN GIVES NO EVIDENCE OF DESIRING TO SHINE ON ONE MORE THAN ON ANOTHER, NOR THE EARTH TO FEED OR PROVIDE—OUT OF ITS LIMITLESS TREASURE HOUSE OF GIFTS FOR MANKIND—ANY GREATER GIFTS TO ONE THAN TO ANOTHER.

"Man Only" has assumed the responsibility of classifying one human being as more important than another and has determined what the rewards of such a classification shall be. The only way in which such a system could possess any elements of justice, would be for every man, woman and child on our earth to have an equal voice in

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determining what the various scales of compensation or reward should be,—both for those who are accepted by their fellows as being superior, and also the rewards of those who arc supposed to have inferior capabilities.

However, the odd part of our economic system,—which permits a greater accumulation of this world's goods for one than for another,—is that the deciding voices in such matters, and the voices which determine just who should be considered as superior, and who shall receive the greatest rewards, have always been the voices, not of those who have rendered the greatest service to the human race;—nor those who have lived the most exemplary lives;—nor composed the world's most beautiful music, poems and literature;—nor painted its grandest pictures;—nor developed its most useful inventions, but instead, those who have "actually" had the deciding voice in the distribution of life's luxuries—and even its barest requirements—have—"WITHOUT EVEN ONE EXCEPTION IN HUMAN HISTORY"—been those who have rendered the "least" service to mankind, and left the "fewest" evidences of having brought happiness into the lives of our earth's inhabitants.

IN FACT, THOSE WHO HAVE USUALLY FORMULATED AND ENFORCED THE HUMANLY DEVISED LAWS UNDER WHICH MEN LIVE,—AND WHICH DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF THIS WORLD'S GOODS THEY MAY POSSESS,—HAVE ALMOST INVARIABLY BEEN THOSE WHO HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT THE WHOLESALE SLAUGHTER OF THE GREATEST NUMBER OF

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[paragraph continues] THEIR FELLOW BEINGS, AND PRODUCED THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF HUMAN SUFFERING IN THE FORM OF BROKEN HEARTS AND STARVED BODIES.

The "Napoleons" throughout human history have been the ones that have decided who shall be called superior, and whether life shall be "A Feast" or "A Famine;"—the rest of the human family occupying this earthly home have stood silently by, either too filled with "awe" and "admiration" over the virile qualities of leadership and personality exemplified by these "Napoleons," or too greatly filled with "fear" and the misery of under-fed emaciated starved aching bodies, to demand justice; IN FACT, THEY HAVE USUALLY NOT HAD ENOUGH MENTAL OR PHYSICAL VITALITY WITH WHICH TO EVEN "RAISE THEIR VOICES" IN PROTEST.

Other than those who have become mankind's "self-appointed" rulers—and the "Money Changers" for the race—there are none who would not willingly consent to a sufficiently abundant production and distribution of the world's goods to insure an ample variety and quantity of the needful or desirable requirements of life for the people of every land. With the exception of mankind's "self-appointed" rulers, there are but few who would not joyously welcome a system of human relationship which would value and estimate qualities of "superiority," solely from the standpoint of the greater service to the human race that one might render over another; or who would not willingly agree that such people should receive as a reward, not a greater amount of the world's goods—(which are,

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after all, lent to each of us equally by our Creator and belong no more to one than to another, neither are they actually ours to give or to take away from each other)—but instead, that they should be appointed as instructors, guides and directors,—in order that they might thereby help others to learn how to constructively seek individual happiness, and yet—at the same time—succeed in serving their brother man more effectually.

Any other method of appointing leaders or of rewarding exemplary service, brings about one of two results; namely, either through "bribery" or "favoritism" incompetent men or women frequently gain positions of authority over their fellows and—"the blind leading the blind"—chaos results; or if rewards are in the form of a greater amount of this world's goods than others are enabled to possess, then jealousy and envy breed bitterness and hate, and bitterness and hate breed murder and war;—NOR CAN THESE EFFECTS "EVER" BE AVOIDED SO LONG AS AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM WHICH PERMITS SUCH INEQUALITIES TO EXIST CONTINUES TO GOVERN THE LIVES OF MEN.

"MANKIND UNITED"—"ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE"—"DOING UNTO OTHERS AS WE WOULD HAVE OTHERS DO UNTO US," CONSTITUTES THE "ONE" AND "ONLY" SOLUTION OF THE DUAL CURSES—"POVERTY AND WAR," FROM WHICH HUMAN BEINGS HAVE ENDLESSLY SUFFERED.

Whether or not we think we are "too good" to soil our hands, or to degrade our precious concept of our own

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[paragraph continues] "superiority" through association with others whom we believe to be less capable than ourselves, or of a different color of skin, or members of different fraternal or religious associations—as the case may be,—the fact still remains that this world home of ours was provided "equally" for the people of every nation, and for those of every color, and the sun was meant to shine as much upon one as upon another.

WE ARE INDISPUTABLY "OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER" IN THE SENSE OF GRANTING HIM EQUAL RIGHTS TO "LIFE, LIBERTY AND . THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS," AND OF PREVENTING SUCH RIGHTS FROM EVER BEING WITHHELD FROM ANY HUMAN BEING ON THIS EARTH.

We have no more right to shut our eyes to the inexcusable suffering caused by greed, selfishness, egotism, and the insanely depraved scramble of a world-wide "pack of wolves" for power, dominion, flattery and wealth, than we would have to sit down and enjoy a delicious meal knowing that our mother, brother or sister were in the next room slowly wasting away from under-nourishment, and gradually starving to death.

Destroying cattle, wheat and other foodstuffs, in a world with five hundred million (500,000,000) people daily suffering from insufficient food and thirty million (30,000,000) human beings "starving to death" each year, is a far greater form of human selfishness and cruelty than any individual could possibly express through the neglect of his immediate family, relatives or friends, yet that is "exactly" what we are permitting our "so-called" leaders

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to do year after year,—and during an age which we proudly acclaim to be "civilized."

Men will find but little opportunity to develop feelings of security or happiness—(other than those of dumb brutes or self-centered ferocious beasts)—until they feel "at least secure," and in time grow conscious of a sense of "justifiable" self-respect, through feeling that they are not only living "abundantly,"—but also permitting others to do likewise.

MANKIND WILL NEVER FIND HAPPINESS UNTIL THERE IS AN INTELLIGENTLY EXPRESSED SEMBLANCE OF "EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND FREEDOM," AND A LIMITLESS WORLDWIDE ABUNDANCE—"FOR EVERYONE"—OF THE NECESSARY OR DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS OF HUMAN LIFE,—TOGETHER WITH THE LEISURE TIME FOR THEIR ENJOYMENT.