The message of practical idealism

Through the United Nations the Creator is offering His illumining Love and Service to His creation. As head and heart of the world-family, the Secretary-General must be constantly and consciously aware of the inner oneness-cry and outer dedication-smile of the United Nations. And the world-server in the Secretary-General must constantly offer inner love and outer service to humanity.

Speaking of the challenges of the secretary-generalship, Kurt Waldheim says:

"The secretary-generalship is at the same time one of the most fascinating and one of the most frustrating jobs in the world, encompassing, as it does, the height of human aspiration and the depth of human frailty. No one is so exposed to that bitter contrast as the Secretary-General, and it requires a constant effort of will on his part to continue day after day and night after night to face up to the problems of the world and of the United Nations in the full knowledge that, while he cannot hope to solve them, it is absolutely vital that the effort continue."

As supreme Pilot of the United Nations boat, the Secretary-General must needs constantly inspire and encourage his fellow men. To those fellow travellers who have become too tired along the way to continue the journey to the oneness-world, the Secretary-General Waldheim has a special message: “Only the vision of a better world, a world of peace, justice and progress for all, can sustain us in the daily struggle to meet the dangers, the challenges and the great problems of our time. I am more convinced than ever that our greatest danger will come if we lose that vision and relapse into defeatism and cynicism.”

False hopes often lead to this kind of defeatism and cynicism. The Secretary-General's deep insight tells us: “All too often in the minds of the public the United Nations is mistaken for a world government with legislative and executive powers, and is expected to solve directly every problem on earth, from peace and security to economic development, the environment and the drug problem. This is not the case and it must be made clear to the public that the United Nations is based on the co-operation of sovereign member states.”

The world needs the faith that evolves slowly and steadily from the Creator to the creation and then back to the Source. To those brothers and sisters who have become disillusioned or who have lost faith in the United Nations’ efforts towards world peace, the Secretary-General offers his encouragement:

"Perhaps, there were those whose expectations were too high. But although we may have fewer illusions today, there is no need to be disillusioned. We must not throw away all the advances of the past 28 years. We must face the future with realism, but with a renewed dedication to the task of the maintenance of peace, and the provision of a better life for all the peoples of the world."

This stoic server of mankind inspires the highest determination and will power in each individual and each nation to manifest the inner divine opportunities of the United Nations. The divine qualities and potentialities of this world organisation are not wishful imagination but solid inner realities crying to come to the fore. The Secretary-General’s one-pointed faith in this divine reality speaks thus:

“If progress is slow, that, in the nature of things, is hardly surprising. But if the will is there, and the talent and the dedication, we should not be dismayed by the difficulties. If we believe that by human actions wisely directed the world can be made a better place, then the United Nations presents unrivalled opportunities. I hope that we shall seize them.”

All the nations are like divine pilgrims proceeding slowly, steadily and unerringly towards the same goal. The divine pilgrim in the Secretary General is “convinced that we are embarked on the right road to objectives of vital importance for the future.”

To those who may feel that undertaking this journey on the path to peace and progress is like building castles in the sky, the practical idealist in Kurt Waldheim affirms:

"It is sometimes thought that idealism is unrealistic. In the United Nations, I believe that idealism and practical, far-sighted common sense lead in the same direction. They lead us over a difficult and steep path towards the great objectives of peace, justice, human dignity and equity to which mankind has aspired for centuries. In the United Nations we dare to believe that we can make real progress up this steep path, if we work together with courage and persistence."

The oneness-soul of our United Nations Pilot supreme knows the true truth that this world-body sings the song not only of possibility but also of inevitability. The inner vision and outer reality of the United Nations and the dreams that abide in the hearts of all lovers and servers of mankind are destined to found the Kingdom of Heaven on this very earth. At that time the aspiring soul of the United Nations will sing the song of a oneness-world.

O Kurt Waldheim, I always see you as God’s lightning-speed. Today you are here, tomorrow there and the day after tomorrow elsewhere. Your penetrating vision not only enters into the world problems, but also solves the problems of the world most miraculously.

Sri Chinmoy, A Soulful Tribute to The Secretary-General: The Pilot Supreme of The United Nations, Agni Press, New York, 1978

The Sri Chinmoy Library

The message of practical idealism