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Letter of 21 November 1936 |
With reference to the absolute pacifists, or conscientious
objectors to war; their attitude, judged from the Bahá’í
standpoint, is quite anti-social and due to its exaltation of the
individual conscience leads inevitably to disorder and chaos in
society. Extreme pacifists are thus very close to the anarchists, in
the sense that both these groups lay an undue emphasis on the
rights and merits of the individual. The Bahá’í conception of
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social life is essentially based on the principle of the subordination
of the individual will to that of society. It neither suppresses the
individual nor does it exalt him to the point of making him an
anti-social creature, a menace to society. As in everything it
follows the ‘golden mean’. The only way that society can
function is for the minority to follow the will of the majority.
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The other main objection to the conscientious objectors is that
their method of establishing peace is too negative. Non-co-operation
is too passive a philosophy to become an effective
way for social reconstruction. Their refusal to bear arms can
never establish peace. There should be first a spiritual revitalisation
which nothing, except the Cause of God, can effectively
bring to every man’s heart.
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