Einstein's Last Request
By Robert Gerzon
Over 50 years ago on July 9, 1955 in London, Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell, along with many other world famous scientists and philosophers, issued a heartfelt plea to humankind. The Russell-Einstein Manifesto was Einstein's final public act before his death.
They were greatly concerned about "the perils that have arisen as a result of the development of weapons of mass destruction."
These scientists understood that people have different nationalities, ethnic backgrounds and religious views. They asked the people of the planet to identify themselves in a less limited and more accurate way -- as a global family. They challenged each human being to set superficial differences and "consider yourselves only as members of a biological species which has had a remarkable history, and whose disappearance none of us can desire."
These wise elders of the planet saw that the dangers we face call for more than just another arms treaty. They put the question in its most basic form:
"Here, then, is the problem which we present to you, stark and dreadful and inescapable: Shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war?"
It has been over half a century since the world heard this challenge. As usual we've been distracted by lesser issues instead of focusing on the big questions of life. We haven't put an end to war, and yet if we don't we will not have the time, energy, resources or international cooperation to solve all the other pressing social and environmental problems our species in facing. We need to evolve beyond war and the mentality that leads to war. Violence is no longer a viable option to resolving human conflicts.
Einstein and Russell were not doomsayers. They saw the possibility of bright future:
"There lies before us, if we choose, continual progress in happiness, knowledge, and wisdom. Shall we, instead, choose death, because we cannot forget our quarrels? We appeal as human beings to human beings: Remember your humanity, and forget the rest. If you can do so, the way lies open to a new Paradise; if you cannot, there lies before you the risk of universal death."
On a practical level these scientists realized that science and technology alone could never pave the road to peace. They concluded that there was only one hope for a positive peaceful future:
"We have to learn to think in a new way."
Let's not let another half century go by. People are suffering and the planet is suffering. Each one of us can do our part to create the kind of world we want to live in and that we want our children to live in. We can learn to think in a new way. We can change our thinking from toxic thought patterns that create stressful conflicts within our own mind and with other people. We can cultivate Inner Talk that leads to inner peace and to finding solutions to the problems in our lives -- from the personal to the planetary.
Find out more about Robert Gerzon’s highly acclaimed book Finding Serenity in the Age of Anxiety.
Find out more about Robert Gerzon’s Counseling and Coaching Services.
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