Daily Times

One does not have to be a philosopher to understand that if we require peace and prosperity for ourselves, we have to have peace and prosperity around us. This can only be achieved with collective endeavours and not just by relying on the abilities of a few individuals. Having said this, there can be no doubt that those who are blessed with this consciousness along with ability are the ones who are supposed to shoulder this responsibility with full fervour, irrespective of the status they enjoy. Whether they are academicians, thinkers, writers, investors, businessmen, politicians or those merely possessing wealth, have no choice but to contribute positively and generously if they want to make the globe a better place for their progeny. Many would view this statement with a sneer, labelling it the wishful thinking of a day-dreamer. They would say we are neither living in a utopia nor is the world inhabited by saints. However, for an optimist, dreams can come true.

The present world has a unique composition comprising sub-worlds. These are described below:

The first world. Countries in this block are considered developed, capitalist and highly industrialised. These countries aligned with the United States (US) after World War II (1939-1945) and have somewhat common political and economic interests. The principal regions where these countries are located are North America, Western Europe, Japan and Australia.

The second world. This connotation refers to the former communist-socialist-industrial states or what was earlier called the Eastern Bloc and was under the influence of the former Soviet Union. They include Russia, Eastern Europe, some Central Asian states and also, China.

The third world. These include the developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America including capitalist ones like India and communist ones like North Korea. The essential constituents that make these countries part of the Third World are high infant mortality, low economic development, high levels of poverty, poor utilisation of natural resources, crime, high rates of population growth, illiteracy, disease and civil wars. Since they have a small middle class, there is a large segment of impoverished individuals which is hostage to a small elite which has total control of the country’s wealth and resources. The governments here are characterised by political instability and military dictatorships.

To overcome the current social disparities, it is important to discard our present concept of charity and open our hearts to strangers with the same enthusiasm we show our own loved ones

The fourth world. George Manuel, a Shuswap Chief (native Canadian Indian) coined this term in his book Fourth World: An Indian Reality in 1974. It refers to indigenous people belonging to cultural and ethnic groups living within or across state-boundaries who were earlier not familiar with being divided territorially.

The question is that if this whole world is a global village and human beings who are its inhabitants are linked together in a chain called humanity, then why are there such monstrous divisions. It’s as if this is an international caste system where one group of nations fall in the highly privileged class while the untouchables are forced to suffer a living that by no stretch of imagination can be claimed as humane. Why is it that invaders belonging to the so-called first world who once forcefully occupied the lands belonging to the now ‘untouchables,’ mercilessly plundering their wealth and wounding their pride thus enriching themselves manifold, now impose humiliating visa restrictions on those very victims of aggression? To add insult to injury, on the one hand peanuts are given out to them in the name of charity while on the other hefty amounts are injected in arms and ammunition meant to eradicate them through their enemies. Self-interest takes precedence over compassion and while the aged in some countries attain a life span of almost 100 years, the young in poorer countries are condemned to suffer from malnutrition and disease.

Come to think of it, what is charity? After all, if there are disabled members in one’s family, they are not thrown out. On the contrary, they are taken care of by with complete devotion and love. So, if they are fed and provided for, it is more out of a sense of duty and not because of sympathy. Then why is there so much fanfare related to performing similar functions when it comes to strangers? Are they not human beings? The main idea here is that the word ‘charity’ gives the impression of some form of good act performed by empathetic people as a matter of courtesy towards children of a lesser god. These acts can be done routinely by oneself or through established funds or as and when there occur charitable surges in our hearts to do some good out of kindness or for religious points. Unfortunately, on this minute scale these measures are much too small to change the lives of all the people on this earth.

At one end of the scale there are some having wealth totally disproportionate to their number of family members while at the other end large families are forced to squeeze into tight and unhealthy accommodations. To overcome these disparities it is important to discard our present concepts of charity and open our hearts to strangers with the same enthusiasm we show our loved ones. Since we get highly impressed by what a successful western billionaire says rather than follow what our own scholars, yogis and Sufi saints have been telling us for centuries, consider the thoughts of Bill Gates (Microsoft fame) and his wife Melinda Gates. Responding to a question on why they generously give away their wealth Bill says: “Even before we got married, we talked about how we would eventually spend a lot of time on philanthropy. We think that’s a basic responsibility of anyone with a lot of money. Once you’ve taken care of yourself and your children, the best use of extra wealth is to give it back to society.”

The most amazing thing is that despite reducing their ownership in Microsoft down to 2.5 percent and giving away billions of dollars to the needy in developing countries, their wealth is increasing. If this couple has discovered the secret of giving for the betterment of others, why are members of the First World oblivious to the plight of other, less fortunate nations? Where armed alliances are made for so-called security purposes bringing upon destruction, alliances could also be made for the collective good of all people living on this planet.

The writer, lawyer and author, is an Adjunct Faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

Published in Daily Times, July 6^th 2018.