The Padre’s Column

Observation Post, Volume 1, Issue 22, 16 October 1942, Page 2

The Padre’s Column

After the war, what? All sorts of men and women these days are dreaming or thinking and talking about what kind of world, what kind of society they hope for after the war. Some of them get their ideas into the newspapers, like this: —“The United Nations must work together. “ The raw materials of the world must be I made available to all nations without I favouritism.” “Privilege based on i wealth must be abolished.” These are | typical sentences taken at random. Then there are these speeches to which we have all had to listen which paint rosy pictures and which all unfortunately depend on the one little word “ if. You know the sort —“If only so and so would do such and such all would be well.” Now this is not to poke fun at plans and planning. Far from it. Rather it is to make a suggestion 'to save plans and planning from having fun poked at them! Plans to be any use must take in to account all the factors. Again anyone can get up and say “Here’s the plan” but can anyone, taking all the facts into account, get up' and say “Here’s the plan and it works!/’ What makes it tough for planners’ and would-be planners is that we are not playing chess or draughts or poker (for matches of course!) Everything would be simple if we could change economic and political system as simply as we move the chessmen or draughtsmen or exchange the matches. The fact is that systems don’t exist apart from human beings who create them, or get used to them, or profit from them. Every suggested plan depends for its effectiveness -on the simple questions “Are nations, or groups of nations, or groups of people in the tuitions prepared to change their ideas, their way of life, their economic structures and work together for something better?” ‘ ‘ And as a citizen prepared to submit to changes in my way of living, in my ideas so as to make my contribution to the general scheme?” Or look at is this way. Some people are afraid of all the possible changes because their personal fortunes, incomes, and general comfort may suffer. They would have to change over from a state of fear and motives of selfinterests to a state of confidence in their fellow citizens and to motives of selfsacrifice.

On the other hand there -are those who from motives of ’ grab will support any scheme which will increase their personal fortunes, incomes, and general comfort. They welcome any ideas which suggest that they will have more opportunities to “scrounge’’ for themselves. If others suffer, well it is just too bad. Here’s another point. It’s a fact, isn’t it, that there are groups of nations that is of human beings, in the world who are waiting for the chance “to get their own back’’ on others nations and plenty of individuals who are hoping and planning to get their own back on other human beings. If what I have said has any- grain of truth in it, then what hope is there of a better state of things developing?