Alpha Omega |
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Epilogue“Our problems are manmade; therefore, they can be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond the reach of human beings. Man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and to abolish all forms of human life. Unconditional war can no longer lead to unconditional victory. It can no longer serve to settle disputes. It can no longer be of concern to the great powers alone. For a nuclear disaster, spread by winds and water and fear, could well engulf the great and the small, the rich and the poor, the committed and the uncommitted alike. Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind. “. . . united there is little we cannot do in a host of co-operative ventures. (This is) our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace. We offer not a pledge but a request: that (all) begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleash . . . the hand of mankind’s final war. So let us begin anew . . . and bring the absolute power to destroy (all) nations under the absolute control of all nations. Let . . . (all) seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce. Let . . . (all) unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaias:”
“What kind of peace do we mean and what kind of peace do we seek. Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. We must re-examine our own attitudes . . . Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air; we all cherish our children’s future; and we are all mortals. “. . . all this will not be finished in the first one hundred days, nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days. Nor even perhaps in our life on this planet. But let us begin. In your hands, my fellow citizens, . . . will rest the final success or failure of our course. Now the trumpet summons us . . . to bear the burden against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, . . . let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.” |
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