In South Africa a situation has developed akin to that in which Arjuna, at the battle of Kurukshetra, is overcome with sorrow at the thought of the fury about to be unleashed. As told in the Bhagavad-Gita, he is averse to the killing of his kinsmen and wonders on which side to take his stand. So it is for us also. There is the same inevitability. It is too late to turn back from warring. Shortly after Sharpeville there was the chance to avert the ultimate catastrophe but it was not accepted, and it is no use repining at this late hour. Like Arjuna, we see that our own kith and kin are involved. It should not matter. Considerations of race and colour only serve to cloud the issue. They should not sway us. A principle is at stake; this is the overriding factor.

It is a case of which side to take, with no possibility of neutrality. It is a straight fight with no alternative, no intermediate choice. Indeed, to seek an alternative is to turn aside from reality, and to do that, where principle is at stake, negates the principle. Once our moral conviction is established we must remain steadfast, undeviating.

There can be no compromise, because compromise is not a principle in itself, but a deflection from principle. It is an escape mechanism, cowardly rather than courageous.

That there should be people of conflicting thought should not surprise or discourage us. As we gain allies, so we shall make enemies. We should not hate those who contest our views. In any fight there must be opponents, and in victory we should be magnanimous. Here again it is a matter of principle, and before the fight is over we should prepare ourselves for magnanimity. Victory is our aim, not vengeance.

Expedience is not our line. We are the forward thinkers, the motivators moving in the right direction. Herein lies our basic strength. Our obligation is to act, not react; to act timeously. not react when all is too late. There is no virtue in pragmatism. It is but an excuse for dalliance.

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This will explain our absolute, inflexible determination to eradicate the evil in our midst. Nevertheless, we must provide an avenue of escape for those who oppose us, and this should be found in our resolve not to sink to vindictiveness once victory has been gained.

Where to stand in the coming armed conflict, the fiercest fight? My story should help readers to make up their minds. F or me, with my roots in wildness, the way was made open. Being a man of nature, racism did not blur my vision. Nor was I
swayed by considerations of ease or of monetary gain. Also I was helped in large measure through my early contacts with /\|'ricans on a mutual basis of give and take. For most others there is bound to be hesitation and doubt. My story, in all its
simplicity, may help to relieve doubt and point the way to decisiveness.

Before long the entire world will become involved on one side ul‘ the other. For  apartheid is of worldwide concern. Likewise a day may will arise when our struggle will repose in the past. It will become a part of history, and it is this that matters more than any historian's assessment of it. We cannot hope to change history to any great extent, and it is not to this vain end that we pit our resources. No, our vision is not of a better world, but of a fairer one, and this lies within our scope.

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