Sri Swaran Singh

The Sources of Tension

This talk was given by Sri Swaran Singh, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, during the Concluding Session on 6 February 1974

I have so far, dear friends, tried to explain that the Unity of Man is a theme about which there cannot be any difference of opinion. But in spite of that, the very fact that a conference of this nature had to be organised does point to the harsh reality that the type of Unity which is the objective before this gathering does not prevail today. Whereas at the religious level one could say that the tensions between man and man which somehow gripped humanity during the centuries prior to the twentieth century have by and large subsided – there may be occasional outbursts, but on the whole, religion does not appear today to be the divisive force between man and man – still there are other forces which are the source of tension, and unless these are conquered and overcome, the objective which is before this gathering under the auspices of His Holiness Sant Kirpal Singh cannot be realised.

What are those matters?

The basic thing is that as long as exploitation by any individual or group of individuals of other individuals or groups of individuals exists, there cannot be any real Unity between man and man.

This exploitation can take many forms, but basically if an individual is deprived of that to which he is entitles – whether it is his wage for the work he actually performs, or whether it is his right to the utilisation of the advantages of science and technology, or of natural resources – and these are exploited by others to the detriment of those to whom they belong, this exploitation will continue to be a source of tension.

There is one other very serious source of tension between man and man, and this is what could be described as domination of certain racial groups over other racial groups. So long as this continues, and people are divided on the basis of the colour of their skin, the real Unity between man and man cannot be there.

So we have therefore to conquer these aspects and recapture the spirit which will unite us. Today, when science and technology is so developed that we can produce enough food, enough clothing, enough good to go around and serve the entire universe, there is no excuse for the continuance of affluent classes which have goods and services far more than their legitimate requirements, while on the other hand there are millions and millions of people who are still suffering under grinding poverty.

This difference between the affluent society and the poor sections of the community in different parts of the world is another divisive force, and the spiritual leaders, most of whom are present here, should give this matter their earnest thought.

I would like to end by saying that to achieve Unity of Man, it is necessary that these big differences must cease.

Poverty is indivisible; so is affluence. Freedom is indivisible: if there is any part of the world which remains under subjugation, there cannot be Unity of Man.

And I would plea that apart from the Spiritual Field, where it is very necessary to stress the Unity of Man, it is also necessary that in these fields the exploitation should end.

The continuance of racism, the continuance of the division between the affluent and the poor, the continuance of the exploitation of economic resources, as well as intellectual exploitation by pretending that any group or people can be superior to others – these are the factors which should receive earnest attention, and I hope that this gathering will carry the message that this exploitative state of affairs should end so that the real spirit of Unity – for which the Torch Bearer is this Great General (Sant Kirpal Singh) who in spite of His years is trying to kindle the flame and spread it all the world over – should, with His prayer and His persuasion, bear fruit.

With these words I am very happy to participate in this gathering.

Thank you very much.