If an engine driver is to set his locomotive in
motion, he has to stand before the fire and endure
it’s fierce heat. This huge and complex machine,
built up of so many parts, will remain immobile
unless he is prepared to do so. The same goes for
society. It will not function unless the individuals
who have to make all its parts work are prepared to
sacrifice something of their own and are ready to
endure difficulties, if not actual hardship. And just
as all the moving parts of a locomotive have to be
kept regularly oiled, if they are not to be worn out
with friction, thus bringing the machinery to a
standstill, so tolerance must be a feature of society,
if it is to function as a harmonious whole. Tolerance
is the oil which will let the wheels go round. There
can be no teamwork without it.
When people work together in groups, it is
inevitable that there should be disagreements and
that complaints should be voiced. However well
intentioned the individuals concerned may be, such
negative feelings are bound to surface sooner or
later. How is it possible then to work together in
harmony? There is only one way, and that is to
make a considered decision to remain united in the
face of disagreement. It is a question of individuals
being conscious of the necessity for harmony, and
willing themselves to take complaints in their
stride, if they are unjustified, and to start the
process of self-examination, if the grounds for
complaint have any validity in even the smallest
measure. This is not asking for the impossible. Who
does not do exactly this in his family life as a matter
of good sense and practicality? When family
members are living in close proximity, grievances
do arise and tempers often flare up. But family
cohesion is not destroyed because of this, for blood
relationships prevent such feelings from getting out
of hand. Grievances are swept away by mutual
love, and tempers are cooled by words of regard
and affection. And so the unity of the family
remains intact. The home, indeed, is a microcosm of
social existence. It provides a day-to-day working
model of social harmony unflawed by grievances or
disagreement.
The feelings of love which cement family life can be
brought into being in social life through conscious
deliberations. Unity can spring from a human
awakening to its ultimate necessity.
Where family life is governed by the heart, social
life is governed by the will. There is nothing that
cannot be endured for the sake of unity, provided
there is the will to achieve it.
Ref - The Moral Vision
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
