THE CULTURE OF PEACE — Part VI Teachings of Islam

not expressing any reaction to it in any way whatsoever. It means not protesting against it. Only those who have realised the power of Nature and have full faith in it can respond to falsehood in this way. Those who are bereft of this realization agitate against falsehood, and, in doing so, become a foundation for giving it life. Positive Status-Quoism As soon as you want to do something, you find yourself faced with some hurdle or the other. This happens in the case of individuals as well as entire communities. Now, one way to react to is to first fight against these hurdles in order to try to get rid of them and then to begin whatever work one wants to. This is what is conventionally called ‘radicalism’. Radicalism seems to appeal to certain highly emotional people— those with a proclivity to extremism. Yet, it is not useful for any sort of positive purpose. Radicalism is effective only for destruction, not for construction. It not only causes the destruction of an existing system, but also leads to the destruction of social traditions that have evolved over centuries. People are subjected to unspeakable horrors because of the bloodshed and disruption wrought by radicalism. Experience indicates that although it may appear attractive at the ideological level to some people, in terms of its practical consequences radicalism has nothing positive about it at all. Awaiting the bounteous abundance of God is an excellent form of worship. Another way to respond to the challenges one inevitably faces in life is to totally avoid confrontation with a given situation, and instead, to plan one’s efforts remaining within the limits of possibility. Accepting for the time being, the given status quo, one can use the opportunities that still remain available. This method can be termed as ‘positive status-quoism’. Radicalism always produces violence and exacerbates a given problem. In contrast, positive status quoism fulfils its purpose without creating any problems in society while preserving social peace. The former leads to destruction, the latter to constructive action.