‘Renewed Thinking’ Vital To Save Civilisation

Press, Issue 30997, 1 March 1966, Page 21

‘Renewed Thinking’ Vital To Save Civilisation

A grim preview of man's probable future was given by the Rev. N. Van der Kley in Christchurch on Sunday. Mr Van der Kley, a Presbyterian minister from Westport, was guest preacher at a service held in the Christchurch Cathedral for the ninth annual conference of Rotary District 298 (the South Island).

Unless modem man adapted his thinking smartly, history would overtake him and civilisation would be doomed to destruction, Mr Van der Kley said. Man had lost all his bearings, and his cynicism would soon turn to despair.

“In this changing world there is a continual battle for the minds of men,” he said. “The contenders are two radically opposed political powers, and countless creeds. Mankind is becoming a slave to the nation State. The time is not too far distant when human life will have no value at all. “President Johnson has just offered 1000 million dollars to end the war in Vietnam, but in spite of this the slaughter continues. tn a world whose population is increasing at an incredible rate, man strives to avoid the harsh reality of life in the escapism of all forms of entertainment. The “old-fash-ioned” Ten Commandments have long since been thrown overboard.

“Against this background the aim of Rotary to advance international understanding through the application of personal service seems ambitious, but we must be prepared to make a sacrifice or meet our end in an atomic holocaust. “Increased scientific discovery demands greater moral

responsibility. Man is becoming no more than a necessary extension of the machines he has invented. These machines, which are supposed to make life so much easier, have in fact made our lives very much more complicated. “Hunger is not a necessary evil,” Mr van der Kley said. “In spite of this it is still on the increase. We are paying the price of millions of corpses a year to maintain our present standard of living. “The problem is not to provide enough for all—there is

enough already. The problem is one of distribution. To achieve this the greatest need is co-operation. “We have played about too long already with the ideal of world brotherhood. It is needed now before we go under and are smothered by our own folly. “It is time the gap between creed and deed was closed. Rotarians must aim to be world citizens, giving inspired service to all men based on the hope and purpose of Christ’s teachings,” said Mr van der Kley.