Comenian Interlude
Two Connected Issues:
The Role of the Individual in Reform
Who will make up the Coming World Government?
By John Taylor; 2009 Feb 02, 13 Sultan, 165 BE
The story of Ancient Hellas can be summed up in a sentence or two. First came the Spartan experiment in equality, followed by their rivals the Athenians, who instead tasted of freedom. Finally both fell into impotence at about the same time and they were both absorbed into Alexander's Macedon; only their culture, learning and language lived on.
Future historians who wish to sum up our age briefly could do worse than see the Twentieth Century in the same way. First came the Russian Communist experiment in equality, which clashed with American capitalism and its preoccupation with freedom. Whether there will be an Alexander to clean up after them is anybody's guess. My hope is that we are through with individual warlords. May our Alexander be a peace plan that would unite the world and reconcile equality with freedom.
If universal government ever comes about the new world citizenry will look back with pride at one of its earliest founders, the 17th Century genius, John Amos Comenius. We saw last time how Comenius, alone among political thinkers, based the architecture of his proposed world government on the words of Christ,
"But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." (Matt 23:8-11, KJV)
Combine this egalitarian brotherhood and sisterhood in God with Christ's balancing dictum, "The truth shall set you free," and, Comenius promised, we could easily balance equality with freedom without resort to war, hegemons or even competitive struggle. We just have to concentrate upon unity as a value in itself.
"Just as the universe of things, granted to us to behold, is one coherent and unbroken unit, so its beholders should be united to help and not hinder one another. And just as the globe of the earth is one, and is not divided but rather held together by mountains, rivers, and the seas themselves, so the masters of the earth and its inhabitants, should be as one, combining forces everywhere in the cause of peace and concord, and no more attacking one another than the earth beneath them attacks its parts. Lastly, just as God the Creator and Saviour of all is one, so all who worship Him should be as one." (Panorthosia II, Ch. 10, para 12, p. 157)
Thus the goal of the three institutions of world governance is not merely survival or to stave off differences deemed permanent. On the contrary, it would take the offensive to blast and dredge out all barriers and prejudices to be able to build common ground in the three most important phases of our humanity, faith, knowledge and action.
In upcoming essays I plan to examine closely the twentieth chapter of Comenius's Panorthosia, which deals with the "first stage of reform, which must begin within each individual." Here he covers the same ground as the Baha'i principle of individual search for truth. But before leaving world government, I want to look at the qualifications for membership in the world governing body. This is appropriate since the two questions, who to lead and who to follow, are closely related, as shown by the popular political saying, "A people gets the leadership it deserves."
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