The Battle for the minds of men

Media

Part of The Manila Guardian

Title: The Battle for the minds of men
Creator: Constantino, Renato
Language: English
Year: 1950
Subject: Men.; War.; Communism.; Democracy.
Rights
Fulltext: THE BA TILE FOR THE MINDS OF MEN By Renato Constantino DHE history. of the hwnan race is a history of wars. Men The araa. of c.on~lict is one difference, 'the.i;d_egree of· in· have fought and found the fighting costly 8.nd painful. volvement of each one of us is another. In the comparatively But they have, fought again and again. halcyon days of the past, wai·s were fought· for year$ anA ' The history of the hwnan race is a sear.ch for peace. year$. But a little behind the· lines life werit on as us~al. Eveen in the days of old when-men lived for war, there were We read in'his\ory of a Thirty' Years' Wai and a.Hundred those -who hated it and .sought t9 end all bloody conflicts. Years' War, but we do not shudder. They stopp~d fighting , . History · therefo~ may ibe viewed, in one sense, as the on SUndays and had time for love. TheY had rules 0£ war ~gle "between two impulses-the. will to war ~d the wilf · then, rigidly enforced ana religiously adhered t9, sacred by -IO peace. These impulses are -the manifestations of mat)'s tradition and not easily flouted. apposing instincts of pugnacity and gregariousness. Whe~ are .our rules of war today? Where is the field Man's gregarioumess makes him desire the company and of battle beyond whose boundaries there shall be no fightfriendship of other men, in fact makes him long for the ap-. ing?' Who shall say in a future contest: There are the combat4proval of society as 8 whole. ants, these are the women. and chiidren, _the .age~ and the sick, Man's pugnacity makes him love the chase, the contest, they are not in this fight? With the Hydrogen Bomb now the struggle and finally, the CQn(iuest. a re.ality ~here call: be no hav_pn, no refuge,_ no neutral teITi~ tory. All of us, yes, all of_ us, will be participants in the car..Although the llistinct to be -close to other human . bemgs nage, whether we will it or not. is often adequately and even magnificently fulfilled "in the The next war, if all our eff<!rts to prevent it are in. v8.in, beautiful comradeship of men in arms, it must be admitted will be different in still another respect. The!'e will be no · that the desire for close relationship with other human beings definite frontiers. The enemy will be in front and behind is more readily and more · gen<:rally fulfilled wider condi- you. In almost every country the enemy will strike from , tions of peace. without and from within. In too many collntries, the conThe struggle between the will to war and the will to flict will partake of the nature of. a civil war. peace began with the human race and has not end~d. In 'Why will the world con~~t Oe -repeated _in miniature the past, .the will to war was dominant but as war becam~ withiri many countries' in that 'most painful, -most deadly, and more c9stly and more painfU.1, aS~ the gains for the victor be- yet most loJig drawn out and indecisive of conflict~ _civil came· insignificant compared ,to the losses of life and pro- war? I have not said, who in my opinion ~ll be the principal perty involveif, the will to peace grew stronger in meii's hearts, comba~8J'.ltS. But you know .. The fact that you knmy is mi~ and now it is a mighty chorus. happy evidence of the great cleav.age we are_ face' to face with Today' men hijve-changed their position concerning war in the world today. And that is, the clue to t4e ·fourth difand peacet They have changed because the conduct -of a fu- lerence betWe"I' a future war and all past struggles. -~ture war, the conditions .of such a war, and its results, will be In the past and even up to the Secoii.d World War, aldiffel'el!t in ·many respects . from anything mankind . has "° liances were forni.ed .and broken, deii'ending on the ex~ far experienced. What are the differences between a third pediency of the moment. In the past, rulers played the powworld war and all other past contests? er game and wars were fought franl.ly for loot as in ttibal During the infancy of human history~ tribe fought tribe. times, or for empires as in the wars between Spain and. E~ ~ter, Ath~ns battled Sparta, one city-state against another. land, oi' for.#national vindication ancl-- glory as in the Ethio/In the Middle Ages, noble fought against noble. witil the strong- pian adventure of Mussolini, or for markets, as in the First <!St ones became kings and ruled nations. Then F.rani;e fought World War.' . , , England, England fought Spain, OJ>e cowitry against another. Wars were fought and peace treaties signed and then The areas·. involved became larger and larger; the tosses in·. wars were fought again .. Each time· the allies we.re different men and materials became greater and greater. , and the enemies of yesterday became the friends of today. Within the span of ·a half-century, we have seen two But now, bati:le lines have hardened, have become fix:~d and world wars-a bloc of nations fighting· another. bloc with clear. The cleavage· is ideo~ogical-it is Communism versus losses in life that staggered the imagination and left lhe world Democracy. The cleavage is wide and deep-Sn wibridgeable bleeding and maimed. Chasm. .It has cut the wor~ hi two. Because the point at A third' global war would embrace an. even greater area issue· is ideological, a future world war based ·on this issue Will of the world than its predecessors. Battleftelds will be far- transcend national boundaries. 'fhat is why I spoke of civil fhmg and numerous. Mankind -will once more have a lesson war. Men wiJI nOt fighe such a war as Americans or Rus-·JQ geography as unknown places beccime/ historical signposts sians or Italians or Chinese. They will fight 8s Communists .or :fashioned out of blood. and heroism. Truly, it "'ill ; be a D~mocrats. This as I see it2 will be the difference -between world war worthy -..of the name. · The l~t two great con- the..,, future war and all past military CC?nflicts where the flicts .. will be so· much window-dressing compared to the real appeal to nationalism was always made. thing. (Continued on page 28) Page 28 nm MANILA GUARDIAN November, 1!)50. Tiie Battle Of Tiie ••• (Continued from page 7) indeed have fought whenever democratic philosophy is threatened. The last important difference between. the war we may The mechanization of our civilization both in peace and yet see and the struggles of the past is that the victory of in war is ahnost comj.Iete. But men are yet expendable. To either side will . radically change the lives of at least half maintain democracy within and to spread democracy abroad ol the world. The fight between Fascism and Democracy in times of peace, we need men. TO fight. for democracy -in was .such a fight. For it Hitler and his allies had won we: times of military struggle, we also need ·men·. wouJd now be .living in the nightmare of a Fascist state. In Do yve have these men? Yes, we have believe:i;s in demo· a future war ehe siakes will be higher. In the critical balance cracy all over the world. But do we have enough firm befor us will be our econOmic and political . irl.stitutions, our lievers and ho.w can we get more? Before, we answer these social customs. our philosophy-in short our whole way _of questions let us . consider the nature of the conflict between life. The same holds true for the other side. Communism and Democracy. To swnmarize therefore-what are the differences be- This conll.iCt is ideolOgical. As such, the principal are;na tween a possible third world war and all past conflicts? Such of struggle is not the battlefield, but .the minds of men .• ID--< 8 'War would involve all areas of the World and all the peo- tinl!ltely, the conflict will be solved in the mjnds of men. pies of the world. It will be a hundred times bloodier and My concern today is not with the" differences between more horrible than anything we have yet seen. It will cut , Communism and Democracy._ My concern is how to streng~ ac~oss- the national boundaries, making counti-yman fight: then- Democracy. We are not choosing here. We have chocountryman. Lastly, its results will be far-reaching in their seri! Strengthen the belief among men in the concept of Demoimportance. cracy and, peace or war, you will be united and strong. We do not want war. Let us, therefore, talk about peace. - We in this country are so secure in our traditional acLet there be a total mobilization for peace .as there would he ceptance of this concept that too often we have allowed the total mobilization for war. But ,peace under what conditions? idea of Democracy to become no more than a catchword, a Certainly not merely the absence of military conflicts. For a vague rallying point. It is time to re·scue the word from the democracy the conditions of peace must include above all general platitudes of July 4th and National Heroes' Day speakthe chance to pursue the democratic way of life and the ers. Democracy cannot remain a general concept. It must chance to help others a~ain and retain democraCy. Peace, become specific and concrete._ Democracy can:tiot exist in a for us, is indissolubly connected with democracy and the pre- vacuum. For Democracy to survive, ie must find lodging in ser\r3tion1 of our accustomed ·Wlay of life. Our goveinment and the Jllinds and hearts ·of men, not as a sym.bplic word mere-.__ the governments of other democratic cowitries will fight and ly, but as a pattern for action. It must be learned over and eo.m.ptimtnu. "" LUZON THEATRES, INC. Operators· of the ~nU 11/.. AVE"NUE STATE RIALTO EASTERN THEATRICAL CO., INC. Operators of the LYRIC CAPITOL Nmember, 1950 over agaiJ!. It must be lived by everyone a~ all times. Its :>-cal'dinal t~nets of rule by consent,. decisions by majOrity rule, equal opportunities for all, protection of the rights ·of minorities, .freedom of speech, of thought, of assembly, and of worship shoi.tld be the yardsticks of every act of ours at home, at school, at work-in short, in every form of. relationship with our fellow men. Thus the home, the school and society m· general, ha.ve definiw and significant roles to play. Let us not consign democracy to the dead w:ords of ·a textbook or to the· pious platitudes .of an orator. let us rescue the concept of democracy and bring' it into th~ realm of life. Let us re-evaluate its meaning and in.stead of krtow-~g only what ie means, let us live Democracy! Furthermore, Het us not be content with living it. Let .us make sure that we 1\each its essence to others, and' let us insure their right to li\re democratically too. To live Democracy, and it is ready for the scrap heap-if it is itot lived, we must not limit it to -our relations with the· government alone. Let the home be a completely democratic unit nm alqng democratic Hues. ~t the schools and th~ offices be similarly run so that none of us have a chance to forget its true meaning,. so that democratic practice will become.second-nature to all of us. ' , Technically we are not at war. Actually, whO can say we are at peace? The cold war is a modern invention. The term itself is proof of the fact that the spoils of war will not be empires or markets but minds. Unlike empires 01· ni.arkets1 the mind of man is a citadel that cannot be ~tormed or ~ taken by force but must be wooed and convinced by_ straight rea59n ,and clear evidence of greater material and spiritu1tl well-being under a Democr8.cy. Technically we are not at war but . democracies are figli.ting on three fronts-the po· Htical, the'economic and even the military. .. ' The political front of a cold war on an international level is intrinsically a propaganda front. Treaties of amity, for. eign policy- speeches. regional conferences, military pacts, treaties of mutual 'asistance, statements ori the floor of the :United Nations itself, are all moves and counter moves de· ' siRDed to sway. the mjnds of men to 011e or the other side. Let us not forget that this is in essence a battle of ·ideas. Men are subiected to a· barrage of propaganda material from either side enlisting their support not so much by virtue of avowed~. ly superior force but more by Virtue of the intellectual valid' 1ty of either the democratic or communist position, We are certain of the intellectual validity and ~e e~ sential righteoumess of our democratic position. It is incumbent upon all' democratic' iiations therefore, in international relations, to show that the practlcal application of their· demo. cratic ideals resul,ts in increased fredoms for1former territories, in .enhaced civil rights for minorities in all nations. The aemocracids n'lust' seize the prwaganda initiatiwe from ,the c.ommunist bloc of nations bv '!>ting. always in the vanguard of the battle. wheneV..r individual right or national sovereigiitv is at stake. . Jn the national field, the poli&al front may be aptly ,£labeled the civil riRhts front. We have said that a war in ' which the issue is. CommlUlism versus Democracy. will irans· cend national loyalties. Therefore it is . the duty of every democratic government, however sure it may be ·of-the alle· Page Sl9 cation campaign to sell Democracy but more importantly to show the· people that their . government has enough belief in this concept to practice_ it at all times. Extremt" ca~ and solicitude tnust ·be taken to conduct specially those government functions which i;mi}inge most closely on the daily lives · of the people, in the mos_t democratic wav pbssible. Incessant . vigilknce must be observed so that,, those -government agencies most intimately related to the lives of the citizenry are alv:ays and above all democratlC. If the home of a citizen is .searched without warrant,. he will think that the guarantee of civil rights embodied in O~r Constitl,ltion is not a guaran· tee ae all. If the small crook. is .caught while the big .one go~s ,scot-free, the citizen will f~l that there is no e9uality before the law .. These citiiens may even begin to doubt democracy and doubling thus, may become prey to another ideology or at best will not be staunch def~nders of the democratic philosophy. The politicaf front is ~carcely" enough. The lure 'of Communism is most effective when it claims that Co:mn:luniSm is baSed on an economy of abundance which has greatly raised the Standards of living. of millions of people. Can you_ima· gine the force of such an argunient? Can you imagine wh8t hopes it will kindle in the hearts of men -who have lived all their lives on a semi-starvation . diet? The job of deb'iocracy on the economic front is concrete and clear. It is also tremendous! Rather than merely disprove the picture pf ComIJlunist plenty, Democracy must provide fresh hope for the· millions of under-privileged peoples in the backward areas·' of Afta, Africa and Latin America. These people have so ,Jar known only starvation and misery. They are smarting SANTA MESA, MANILA DEDICATED TO INDUSTRIAL PIONEERING AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT . OF THE NATION We have. available stacks of SUPERIOR QUALITY KRAFT PAPER in-mils, reams, and sheets 'of various sizes. - Contact the NOC SALES -DEPARTMENT Tel. 6-75-53 Pureza St., Sta. Mesa, Manila giance of its citizens, to conduct not only an incessant edu- · L;====================;;ll Page .30 TiiE MANILA GUARDIAN November, i950 under a sense of oppression; they feel that they ~re victims ·and economic fi'onts. Also because the dem~Cratic way of· , of economic inequality. How can they appreciate Democracy life is under propaganda bombardment by Commu~ism, the_""' under these conditions? Why should they. not ·become easy soldier ne~ds to re-evaluate his role in this fight. Today he prey to propagandists who .promise Utopias free froID. opres- is both. a military man and a propagandist for Democracy. sion and surrounded by economic abundance? How can these Today his frontline ·is not only iri frolit. It. is also behind: People love political and civil liberties, freedom of speech, For ·during every. military .campaign the soldier ·comes in con-· f freedom -of the pre~s and. freedom to wurship one's God, tact with the mass of people· which aFe caught in th~ crosswhen they constitute a mass of unlettered men ·who hav~. fire of conflict. They see-both sides. The soldier' must prove neither the ability nor the leisure to read or to think? All . his coi1duCt that he is imbued with the spiri~ of .democracy, · they desire is fr.eedcnn from the present chains· that 'shackle that he has the interests of the populace a~ heart, for these them to hrmger and privation, \O o:vpression and servitude. ·people- he is the- sym&l of government. If he is unnecessllrily These are precisely the conditions which subversive elements authotjtarian he heightens the impression that the ~venl· exploit in .the face of passive Democracy._, "' ·'merit is mttely a cOercive force, and he does Deinocracy no , Before men can appreciate the intangible.of Deniocracy, !'i·ervice. ',_ . 1• , ·1 ~e must provide them with ·a tangible reason to love the Let #ie say again: Do not be content with the- weapons-·-"" democratic way of life. A hrmgry -man cannot be· bothered- of death. People a'.re cowed down by for~e , but ~eldom are with Democr~cy. All his Waking hours are spent in search· "they convinced. And we need conviction for Democracy. ·We of a means of subsistence. A man bedridden ''Vi.th tubercu- ne!ed voluntary and enthusiastic support from our people, losis, 'the poor man's disease, thinks only of health and sur- not passive and. grlldging. acceptance. And we c8n have· this Vi.Val. Those are not our fighters for Democracy. These are support for. democracy only if we use the weapons of ljfe; the unc~rtain elements o~ om· population whom we must con.:. They are age·oid weapons and you knaw ,hem. _ Somethnes vinqe to our side by adopting ·concrete -m~asures to raise their , they are called constitutional rights; sometimes they are call~d standards of life., the Four Freedoms-always they mean that the government Tit.rt staUllch ·defender of Deniocraty, Franklin -Delano musi provide for its people a constantly improving standard Roosevelt, gnVe soleinn recognition to the importance of the of life, full employment, a stable economy, ~tter educatioil, economic; front when he emphasized ~s part of his four free·- better ~ealtb standards, and 811 this under _ a:p. apnosphere of doms~the freedom from want. ~What are the duties ·of true' freedom .. '.government therefore in the economic phase of the conflict? Th.ese are the weapons we must seek Qut from their They are to insure conditions pf better health and more wide- hiding places if _need be. These are the weapons' which will-·< spread education so thaf we 'can produce a c.itizenry better bring you victory and peace. · equipped ,physical~y and mentally. ~e government must at the same time provide its ptpple V\ith opportunities for fruitful work so that greater production and a healthy economy' may insure a big~ standard of Jiving and economic · ·contenbnent. · Be-cause a whole political philosophy. is at 'Stake, the militarj' front mu~ be Coordinated constantly with the· p6litical ARV EC ES Tailors 1931 1 Herran, ~ it. V. CRUZ Compliments· of:- · CHOAN HUAT COMPANY, INC Code, Used: BENTLEY'S 2nd Phrase ACME Importer, Distributor, Manufacturer Manufacture'rs' Representative Merchandise Broker P. O. Box No. 2275 460-462 Juan ~na St~t M!lnila, Philippines . Cable Address: I 2-64-73 • Tels. I 2-80-67 "CHOANGLASS" ''CHO.ANlWAT'' SUN-RIPE COCONUT PRODUCTS, Inc. :Manufacturers I!?JpOrt.ers A Exporters Representative and Distributor in the --Philippines of the REYNOLDS METALS COMPANY Centnzl OlfiH: . .. ~:i'.: M:..~!~o:e Blnondo, Matalla I " ORUA LAMKO Auto Seat Covers. FOR. FINEST AUTO SEAT COVERS, AND 01'.RER KINDS OF UPHOLSTERY I 900·A Oroquleti Manila Tet. 2-1'11°02 . -CHINA BANKING CORPORATION ... vable Address: , "CHIBANK" Agencies: Corf-espondents in all' the principa_l cities. of , the world. Branch: Cebu Qty, Philippines China Bank Bldg.,~ DaSmariii.as corner Juan Lui;ta, Manila We offer our .General Banking Services especially· the facilities ot· the SAVINGS ACCOUNr . DEPARTMENT