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OJF
GAJLTIJLIEIE
the World
JLOVJE
Representative govemment is only
preserved by
exterior
forces , i.e. , the
checks and balances which keep
groups from acquiring despotic
power. Yet within the structure it–
self, there is confusion, inequalily
and man's characteristic inhumanity
to man. No revolution or new gov–
ernment in aU history has produced
anylhing even resembling lhe kind
of utopian conditions roan would
like 10 live under.
Today. we a re "reaüsts." That is,
we accept a condition in which war,
bigo1ry, steal ing, mental unhappi–
ness and a host of
oth~r
ills are very
much a part of the fabric of life.
lnternally, humans are sliU by
and large human, with all tbal the
word implies.
It
is as though a vital
ingredient was missing from the rec–
ipe for love-oriented humans or a
piece had vanished from the per–
fection puzzle. We just don't seem
to be able to do much with human
inhumanity.
At best, human nature appears to
be an odd combination of con–
tradictory behavior pattems. A Ba–
hutu tribesman may !ove
his
children but butcher a Watusi 's off–
spring because of years of Watusi
PLAIN TRUTH July·August 1973
suppression. A common ci tizen may
respect his friend 's property but pil–
fer from the local department store.
Aman may jump into a pool to save
his neighbor's drowning wife, even
at the risk of bis own life. but he
might also steal his neighbor's wife
by having an affair with her.
All such "non-love" situations
have been multiplied by the mil–
lions and have resulted in a collec–
tive world that kills, steals, bates
and is generally filled with man's
cruelty to man. In spite of al! our
efforts, we have been unable to de–
velop loving human beings and a
society that is moving sleadily into a
condition which could broadly be
defined as living under a "concept
of full !ove."
This is why the carpenter from
Galilee introduced a new concept of
!ove 10 revolutionize human think–
ing. He explained why the world
exists in an unhealthy condition:
People lack the complete expression
of !ove.
Rulers, for example, lord it
over and oppress their subjects.
Jesus gave the formula which could
result in the formation of a basically
love-oriented human being and so–
ciety.
As a result of the failure of the
greatest minds and the most sophis–
ticated political sys1ems to bring us
the kind of human beings we want.
the event which occurred almost
2000
years ago looms very impor–
tant. Al that time. this most unusua l
individual. Jesus. appeared on the
scene. Born as a carpenter's son in a
town called Bethlehem, Jesus was a
scion of the ancient kingly line
which had ruled lhe nation of Ju–
dah.
Who Was This Jesus?
Jesus possessed one characteristi c
which made him lhe unique figure
of history. One of his disciples.
John, quoted Jesus' own words.
words which describe lhe essence of
this singular characteristic: "A new
commandment
1
give to you, that
you love one another; even as
1
have loved you, that you a lso love
one another. By this a ll men will
know that you are my disciples, if
you have !ove for one another"
(John
13:34. 35. RSV).
(The inter–
ested reader should study the en–
tirety of chapters
13
through
17
for
Jesus' full . exposition of love.)
Jesus showed how the character-
2 1