Building a Strong Nation

realizing how great a mistake this had been, refrained from committing another. A defeated, but still living nation, it opted for adjustment to the new set of circumstances rather than resistance to them. In this way Japan opened up for itself new and splendid possibilities. Finding no opportunities in the military field, the Japanese put all their effort into the fields of education and industry. In accepting America's supremacy in political and military affairs, it was then free to divert all its attention to peaceful fields of activity. In consequence, within a period of thirty years, Japan became far more powerful than before. Of the original incident which set in motion this unexpected train of events, a commentator writes: “That is a queer culmination of Pearl Harbour, but history has many contrived corridors and perhaps Pearl Harbour was one of them.” (Hindustan Times, November 30, 1981) After every failure there exists the possibility of a new, and perhaps different kind of success for all human beings, provided they refrain from harbouring false pride, waste no time in futile lamentations and set about immediately adjusting themselves to the new set of circumstance. Above all, in beginning the struggle anew, they should rid themselves of all feelings of hatred. Of this negative sentiment, Dale Carnegie (famous for his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People) writes: “When we hate our enemies, we give them power over us—power over our sleep, our appetites and our happiness. They would dance with joy, if they knew how much they were worrying us. Our hate is not hurting them at all, but it is turning our own days and nights into hellish turmoil.” Hating others amounts to hating one’s own self; it is a way of injuring one’s