“War! That mad game the world so much loves to play.”— Swift
Man in a fighting animal. There have been wars since times immemorial. Science is certainly not the cause of wars. But the inventions of modern science have changed the nature of war. Science has made modern war much more destructive and horrible.
Science, no doubt, has given numerous useful gifts to mankind. Humanity is greatly indebted to science for its blessings. But science in unscrupulous hands is a curse. It has vested man with the powers of the gods, which, when used in an improper direction, can cause misery and destruction. It can be both, mother as well as a step-mother. It is not, therefore, an unmixed blessings. Although it has provided us with a thousand comforts, yet it has filed to bring happiness to our homes. Power-hungry men of the world have exploited science to use it in warfare. It has given them the weapons which can put the whole world to an end in the twinkling of an eye. War, today, has become a thousand times more bloody and killing than the greatest war ever fought on the earth. But, is science to be blamed for this? No, it is man whose wrong use of this vast power has brought ruin and misery for his fellow beings.
In the beginning of the world, men used to fight with the help of stones and sticks. A little later, they started using bows and arrows. The bows and arrows were replaced by swords, axes, daggers, and spears. Horses and elephants were used to carry the fighting soldiers. Whenever there was a war, not more than a few hundred persons were killed or wounded on either side. As civilization advanced further, wars became more and more horrible. With the advance of science, gun powder was invented. Guns and cannons now came to be used. Aeroplanes made the movement of soldiers easy and quick. This made wars quite terrible. Wars now started taking a heavy toll of life and property.
Modern science has made things even worse. Today man is equipped with dangerous weapons of destruction. HE can cause large scale deaths and devastation. The atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Second World War spelt doom and disaster on the two cities. The two cities were completely destroyed. Thousands lost their lives; property worth millions was reduced to ashes.
All this has taught no lesson to man . Today we hear of bombs which are thousands of times deadlier than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The atomic submarine, deep penetration aircrafts, guided missiles and poisonous gases have made was more horrible today. It is estimated that the U.S.A., Russia and may other countries have huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons that can destroy the whole world in a matter of minutes. If, God forbids, a world war breaks out, it will certainly be the last war to be fought by humanity. Nobody will be left alive to fight another war. The third World War would mean a total extinction of humanity. Can’t we have a world free from wars?
In the context of this possibility only, the leaders of the world are now working for the destruction or delimitation of these giants of destruction America and Russia have agreed to cut down their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. A lot, however, remains to be done.
The mighty weapons are hanging on the head of the world like the sword of Damocles. We cannot imagine the horrors of a modern war. Let the war-mongers realize the consequences of the Third world war. It is high time they take a vow never to wage a war. Let them make this world heave of peace, free from wars. They should act upon Panchsheel (Five Principles of Co-existence). In them and them alone lies the progress and salvation of mankind.
We can only pray with Lord Tennyson :—–“Let knowledge grow from more to more;And more of wisdom in us dwellThat mind and soul proclaiming well,
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