Columbia High School - Mirror Yearbook (Maplewood, NJ)

Page 6 text:

olera nee for

Page 5 text:

THE MIRROR

Page 7 text:

If we examine flu- underlying forces» in human history, wo lint) that men have been compelled from I he earliest times by a craving for order and security. They were quick to realize that order and security could not he established so long as each individual shifted entirely for himself, with- out regard for his fellow men. They found that hv the con- certed effort of a group united for a purpose, they could obtain objects previously beyond their reach. That is why elans and tribes were formed, which in modern times have given way to states and nations: ami why men established governments and made laws to regulate their own conduct. Therefore we may conclude that mankind is instinctively opposed to war. which disrupts order and security and pro- duces chaos and fear. e are well aware that a longing for peace has not always remained uppermost in the minds of men. W hen disputes have arisen, he they political, economic or religious, men have been too impatient, too passionate, to settle them amicably, with so natural an expedient as war at hand. Hut now there is a new factor to consider. ar is now conducted on a world-wide scale; each conflict becomes in creasingly destructive, involving more and more people. Today a city can be destroyed in a single air raid: in the future great segments of the world's population may he easily and rapidly obliterated. We who have witnessed the horror of this war. do not want another; for if war comes again, think how much more devastating it will he! We have, then, a very real threat to our civilization, ar has become unbearable, and if we are to survive it must he prevented. W e have learned that no nation can live in isolation from the rest of the world. Our modern improvements in com municutioii and transportation have brought the peoples of the earth so close together that events on one side of the globe are hound to have their effect on the other. It should he equally obvious that peace cannot he maintained if nations each go their own way. impelled by no sentiment other than blind obedience to their own national interest. If we are to establish anything like a permanent peace, therefore, we must have a higher order of unity world unity. That step seems both logical and inevitable in view of the human tendency we have noted. The peace which nations individually have been unable to maintain, may by inter- national unity he established. That there will he some sort of world organization is now well agreed upon. Hut no plan which the statesmen may devise, no matter how elaborate, will he of value by itself. Its success will depend on the attitude and actions of individuals everywhere. It is. after all. the people who finally decide the course of events, not the leaders. It is certain that disputes will again arise, and that men of great influence will declare that war is the only solution. And then the people must firmly insist that another way he found. That is our goal, and in striving toward it. each one of us has a definite responsibility. In this critical period which lies ahead of us. we will come in contact w ith many different races, colors, and creeds, representing a great variety of ideas and points of view. hen they differ from ours, it will be very easy to become intolerant, and to assert obnoxiously the preference for our own beliefs. That is the sort of thing that creates had feeling. There will always he those individuals who are eager to kindle a spark of discord into flames of hale, and then we will find ourselves well along the path that leads to another war. We Americans, who are ourselves a conglomeration of nationalities, should realize that each man. regardless of his background, has something to contribute to the common wel- fare and to human civilization. Men from many countries came to America and were able to work together because they were struggling toward a common object freedom. The peoples of the world have in common a desire for peace. e must all work together, including those who are at the moment our enemies; and each one of us must at least make a sincere attempt to he considerate, cool-headed, and patient in our dealings with foreign people. Kcmcmhcr that they an human beings like ourselves. Preventing war is admittedly a huge task, probably the greatest ever undertaken. W e will have considerable «Iiflien11 in meeting the requirements for this fight. Indeed, the job is such a tremendous one that many think it impossible to accomplish. This specie of cynic is present in everv age. It is the same Ivpe that scoffs at new inventions and considers diseases incurable. Its chief distinction is that it is consist- ently wrong. It will he the task of our generation to promote an inter- national accord which will insure a lasting peace. And if we are to he successful, we shall have to cling to one idea always: the idea to which we of the class of 1945 dedicate ourselves T )LEK A . !K. Unitu for P eace • •