FREEDOM OF CHOICE
Self-discipline Rather than Freedom
IN 1945 an atom bomb destroyed the entire city of Hiroshima. This bomb was equivalent to 12,500 tons of TNT (trinitrotouline). In 1980s, the world’s nuclear arsenal contained 12,000 to 15,000 megatons, each megaton being equal to a million tons of TNT. After the Cold War, the number of nuclear weapons has declined significantly, a feat accomplished through arms control agreements. The pace of reduction has slowed significantly compared with the 1990s. Instead of planning for nuclear disarmament, the nuclear-armed states appear to plan to retain large arsenals for the indefinite future, are adding new nuclear weapons, and are increasing the role that such weapons play in their national strategies.
According to a report in The Telegraph (October 11, 2017) it is estimated that the US and Russian arsenals combined have power equating to 6,600 megatons. This is a tenth of the total solar energy received by Earth every minute. As Jonathan Schell has pointed out in his best-seller The Fate of the Earth, man is now in a position to destroy life on Earth many times over.
What, basically, are these weapons? Like any other weapon, they are just a misuse of the resources of nature. A sword is a misuse of steel, a nuclear bomb a misuse of nuclear energy.
The freedom of choice that man has been given in the world today is a test; it is not his right. If he uses his freedom correctly, and makes the right choice for himself, he will be successful. But if he misuses his freedom, he is doomed to failure.
The things from which weapons are made were in the possession of nature for millions of years, causing no destruction. When man gained control of them, however, they suddenly became destructive. Why? It is because nature has no freedom. Man, on the other hand, is free to act as he pleases. What philosophers call a ‘problem of evil’ is simply a misuse of human freedom.
Modern man takes enormous pride in the freedom he has won for himself. But it is self-discipline rather than freedom that is needed for peace to prevail on Earth. The freedom of choice that man has been given in the world today is a test; it is not his right. If he uses his freedom correctly, and makes the right choice for himself, he will be successful. But if he misuses his freedom, he is doomed to failure.
Resources that remain in the control of nature function properly. When man gains control of them, however, they cause havoc in the world. This fact shows us how order can be maintained in the world. Man must learn how to utilize these resources in the way nature utilizes them. The model of nature must be applied to human life. This is the real task facing both individuals and societies in the world today.