Success and progress

Success belongs to the outer world. Progress belongs to the inner world. Success engenders vital gratification. Progress augments psychic satisfaction. Success claims to be the matchless friend of human life, whereas progress is at once the divine and eternal friend. Success is what we, in the march of time, become and progress is what we sempiternally are. The human in us dies for success and ultimately dies in success. When we live in the world of success, the human reality, which is goodness — our God-life in God-Vision’s Reality — surrenders itself to the lower reality, which is greatness, world-acclaim and the dance of individuality’s supremacy. The divine in us longs for progress, which is the song of gradual self-transcendence in the one for the many and in the many for the one. The soul of the United Nations dreams only of progress in the aspiration-life and dedication-life of each individual and each country.

The oft-quoted adage, “Nothing succeeds like success,” has been interpreted with an amazingly broad vision by the Secretary-General:

"There has been some slight progress here and there: certain situations which had been frozen by the Cold War are beginning to show some signs of thaw as a result of the over-all détente. We must keep trying. As you say in business: Nothing succeeds like success. Well, we need progress and success in order to achieve other successes and to create a new climate in the world."

The Soul of the United Nations has granted her beloved son, our Secretary-General, Kurt Waldheim, beckoning hands to invite ignorance-world for a global progress in the life of universal brotherhood and in the heart of perfection’s height. His inner courage often inspires him to speak out and offer his guidance and help to the member States, when his conscience dictates that the United Nations, under its Charter, should offer its assistance. “Governments may decide not to make use of these offers, but they will realise in the end that the United Nations, despite its limitations, which we must correct, is still the most advanced instrument ever devised by humanity for its collective security.”

The realist in Kurt Waldheim acknowledges that the efforts of the United Nations have not always proved successful:

"The desire for instant success and a disproportionate disillusionment when it is not achieved, is a conspicuous feature of our time. I believe, however — at the risk of being accused of optimism — that we should not resign ourselves to despair so easily. The fact that we know more about our condition than any previous generation in history is an enormous advantage if it is put to good use. It should certainly not be allowed to lead us to defeatism. But to make use of our self-knowledge we must also accept the necessity of change, of new imperatives and of new patterns of activity."

Nonetheless, the United Nations has succeeded most significantly and progressed most fruitfully. As the Secretary-General points out:

"It is only fair to say that it has been of incalculable value to international political progress over the last few decades: it has kept the dialogue between East and West going; it has shown a great many new Afro-Asian states the way into the community of nations; and last but not least, it represents the world’s conscience on the basis of the Charter. It has thus become an irreplaceable moral force in the constellation of forces in international politics. In spite of the new crises that confront it and are threatening to drag it down to one of the lowest points in its history, the member States do seem to be moving towards the realisation of what Dag Hammarskjöld once so strikingly formulated: We should recognise the United Nations for what it is — an admittedly imperfect but indispensable instrument for the nations, designed to ensure a more just and secure world order through peaceful evolution."

Again, Secretary-General Waldheim declares:

"Steady, detailed effort is hard to dramatise, and it seldom makes headlines, but who can doubt that the transformations and crises of the past thirty years would have been infinitely more painful and far less subject to peaceful resolution without the United Nations?"

The United Nations has progressed to the point where it has much to give in every aspect of human endeavour. Humanity must needs follow its illumining and continuous guidance. Humanity must needs have faith in the United Nations’ dedication and service. To quote Secretary-General Waldheim:

"Slowly and painfully mankind has created machinery for international co-operation in almost every area of human activity, from the prevention of disease to the settlement of international disputes, which never existed before in the history of our planet. Tragically that machinery is not always used, but it has, time and time again, demonstrated its unique value when it has been employed. And, increasingly it is being used — not out of idealism, but because it works. In this, we may record a definite advance."

We may ask why the world often does not recognise the true progress and success of the United Nations? Here we can view the United Nations as a mother who is expected to do everything for her child, the world. Unfortunately, the child very often forgets to offer gratitude to the mother for the mother’s countless inner and outer gifts. But if the child does something for the mother that may be most unimportant, then that very thing receives undue attention. True, the United Nations receives all kinds of help from the world, but the world is not fully aware of the ideals and service that the United Nations is consciously and constantly offering. The Secretary-General throws considerable light on this deplorable situation:

"Many of the activities of the United Nations are so much taken for granted that they are scarcely reported any more. This is probably not a bad development, but it should not cause us to lose sight of the value of the multiple activities of our Organisation or the dangerous vacuum in international life that would be created if, for any reason, they were to cease.
We now take for granted that virtually all the Governments of the world can meet in the United Nations to discuss almost any subject under the sun. We take for granted that, when a conflict threatens, the Security Council will meet and sometimes, by that simple fact alone, will provide a breathing space and an opportunity for reflection, reassessment and clarification. We take for granted that in the United Nations there can be meetings and communication between representatives of contending parties who can meet virtually nowhere else in the world. We take peace-keeping and good offices for granted. We assume that the humanitarian agencies of the United Nations will be there in emergency or dire need to take care of the afflicted or the refugees. We have become completely used to the unprecedented idea that the nations of the world, almost as a matter of course, can discuss as far-reaching a concept as the new international economic order."

The time will come when the inner eye of the world will unmistakably show blind humanity the greatness and goodness of the United Nations. The blind world will then receive illumination-vision from the United Nations; the unsatisfied world will receive satisfaction-peace, and the aspiring world will receive the answer to its heart’s soulful cry. At that time, the world will sing the gratitude-song for what the United Nations is offering to it. Again, the gratitude-song must echo in the hearts of each member of the United Nations for what the world is doing for the Organisation. In the gratitude-song of the United Nations and in the gratitude-song of the world will be heard the soulful song of oneness-expansion.

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

Success and progress