Peace- The Vital Objective of Leadership

As most of you probably know the father of the "Theory of Relativity", Albert Einstein, advised President Roosevelt to develop the atom bomb soon after World War II began. Having left Germany to preserve his life, Einstein came to the United States where he continued to pursue his theoretical studies at Princeton University. But he recognized that his theory was being applied by the Nazi war machine to develop the deadly atom bomb as well. He believed that the USA had to develop the bomb first to prevent the Nazi's from using the weapon to control the world. Roosevelt responded by initiating a secret program and Einstein's objective was achieved. The atom bomb was used by the USA in 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Second World War ended shortly thereafter. But Einstein, although recognizing that the development of the atom bomb by the USA may have averted Nazi domination had they developed the bomb first he deeply regretted that his theory and admonitions to Roosevelt caused so much death and destruction in the two Japanese cities that were destroyed, and where hundreds of thousands were killed outright or died slowly from radiation poisoning or induced cancers. Einstein, acknowledged as the most brilliant thinker and physicist of modern times, became one of the most passionate pacifists after his theory of relativity was reduced to reality by the development and use of the atom bomb.

We now live during a time when many thousands of atom bombs exist throughout the world with each one possessing more destructive and life-destroying power than those used to destroy Nagasaki and Hiroshima. They are in place , ready to launch by rockets, throughout Europe (France,England Russia), USA, Central Asia (India, Pakistan, Russia,China, and Israel. One erratic leader could set off a chain reaction that could actually destroy most life on earth in one massive tit for tat reaction by all nations that have A-Bombs. We truly live on a precipice where another world war would probably be that last world war for a millennium or longer. Any life that initially survives a world nuclear war would face devastation and horror of such scale that long-term survival would be doubtful. Thousands of atom bombs would ultimately spew radioactive fall out world wide, causing slow death from radiation poisoning and make virtually all water and food sources inedible and deadly. The scenario of survival after such an event is unimaginable. I suggest that you all read, "Hiroshima Diary-The Journal of a Japanese Physician, August 6- September 30, 1945" to partially grasp the reality of nuclear warfare. It is impossible to realize the horror unless you lived through it yourself, but reading this very objective journal by a physician who tended the survivors and witnessed the devastation is necessary to accept the futility and senselessness of war to the victor or to the vanquished. A nuclear world war will equate all--survivors will all be of one type--the vanquished of the world.

The world today is led by political leaders who seem to have forgotten or never learned any lasting lessons from World War II or from the nuclear devastation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most of the leaders today seem to think that war is the essence of real leadership. "Peace" is viewed as an aberrational disease possessing those who are unpatriotic or traitors.

Einstein, the "father of the A-Bomb" knew very well what his genius wrought. He lived the balance of his life suffering for the harm done by the weapon he promoted. Yet we know, and he too knew, that such a weapon would have been developed by the Nazis or another nation had we not been first. Yet we are the only nation in the world to have used the A-Bomb to destroy life. We must reflect upon this reality. We must work for world peace. We must live in Einstein's shadow as he recognized the folly of war. War cannot solve mankind's problems. War only magnifies the problems and always results in the death and maiming of innocent people, and those sent to war by leaders who have failed to seek other peaceful pathways. The time has come to change our ways. Global warming pales by comparison.

Albert Einstein, after seeing the devastation caused by wars and the nuclear bomb that his Theory of Relativity launched, offered his wisdom with the following words: "May the conscience and the common sense of the peoples be awakened, so that we may reach a new stage in the life of nations, where people will look back on war as an incomprehensible aberration of their forefathers!" The future of earth depends more upon our attainment of Einstein's visionary wisdom than anything else that confronts mankind today. We must embrace his words and seek leaders who place the attainment of peace in the world as the most vital objective of national and world leadership.