The Need of the Hour

What we have discussed is not only a demand of the inner state of human civilization but also a result of certain external factors that are pulling us in this direction. The first factor is the modern concept of the state. Today's state, as a result of a silent political revolution, has become an all-encompassing entity. It is no longer a limited administrative state as envisioned by thinkers like James Stuart Mill and Lord Melbourne.

A state based on merely negative concepts cannot sustain itself. Secularism and unbridled liberalism are not the solutions to today's problems. If you exclude religion from life, what will you do then? Secularism offers no constructive program. Liberalism, at best, enables rebellion against traditions and the past, but it fails to provide a positive framework for life.

Democracy, too, offers only a guideline: "Do what the people want." But what if the people have no positive vision or constructive agenda? What can they achieve? As you reflect on this, it becomes clear that modern philosophies fail to provide a healthy worldview, while a worldview is now as essential for individuals and states as air and water are for human beings. Without it, the existence of a state becomes meaningless.

This is why many political thinkers refer to the modern state as an "ideological state."

Another aspect to consider is that technological and mechanical advancements have unified previously scattered islands of human life. Modern means of transportation have eliminated geographical distances, and tools like education, propaganda, radio, and mass communication have interconnected all aspects of life. The conquest of time and space has stretched the boundaries of the earth.

Today, the entire world is becoming one city, and humanity is forming into one family. In this age of global unity, all philosophies of division and fragmentation that have been humanity's intellectual inheritance until now have become irrelevant. The new era calls out to the fragmented philosophies of the West:

The world now needs an ideology that can transform diversity into unity, teach humanity how to live in this new global context, and guide us in using our newfound powers for construction and progress. Without such an ideology, there is a serious danger that everything humanity has achieved so far will be destroyed by the very philosophies of hatred, divisiveness, and parochialism that have brought us to this point.

The same bold thought that has uncovered nature's secrets now threatens humanity with the very forces it has unleashed. The restless lightning of this progress could burn down the nest we call home.