World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace — Page 160
160 great concern to those people who wish to establish peace in the world and who are working towards it. The pathetic situation of today’s world is that at one level, people speak of establishing peace, whilst at another level they are engulfed in their egotistical ways and wrapped by a shroud of pride and arrogance. In order to prove their superiority and might, every powerful government is ready to make all possible efforts. After the Second World War, in an effort to establish long-last- ing peace in the world and to prevent future wars, nations joined together to form an organisation, which they called the United Nations. However, it seems that just as the League of Nations mis- erably failed in its objectives, the status and respect of the United Nations continues to fall by the day. If the requirements of jus- tice are not fulfilled, then no matter how many organisations are formed for the sake of peace, their efforts will prove fruitless. I have just mentioned the failure of the League of Nations. The institution was formed after the First World War, with the sole objective of safeguarding world peace; however it could not stop the onset of the Second World War, which as I have already said caused so much devastation and loss. New Zealand also suf- fered casualties as a result of the war. It is said that it suffered a loss of around 11,000 people, virtually all of whom were from the mili- tary. As New Zealand was far removed from the epicentre of the war it did not suffer civilian casualties. However, as I have already alluded to, overall in the war more innocent civilians were killed than military personnel. Just imagine: normal innocent people, including countless women and children, were killed indiscrimi- nately having committed no crime. It is for this very reason that you will find in the hearts of