Gharbzadegi

In short, the miseries and troubles of non-Western peoples do not stem from any perceived defects or flaws in their cultures or their way of life. Rather, the miseries and troubles of non-Western peoples stem from their forced dependence on Westerners via “gunboat diplomacy” and so forth which is now being overcome by an emerging economic and military equilibrium between East and West. And freedom, independence, and a renewed sense of esteem and pride in their cultures and their way of life are the only perceivable cures or remedies for the miseries and troubles of non-Western peoples. 

Moreover, the West itself – despite its efforts to stymy and stonewall non-Western peoples for economic and political purposes – cannot withstand the attraction or pull of Eastern or non-Western cultures and the Eastern and non-Western way of life for very long. In turn, the attraction and the pull will have an impact not only on Western economic and social affairs, but on Western political affairs as well. As the 20^th century Iranian author and philosopher Jalal Ale Ahmad wrote: “This retreat of the Westerner into Eastern and African aesthetic values in art, literature, life, and morals (which from one standpoint exemplifies the Westerner’s estrangement from his own milieu, his own arts and manners, or at least his weariness of them, and from another standpoint exemplifies the globalization of art, literature, and culture) is gradually encroaching on the political realm as well.” 

Ale Ahmad added: “The West has reached the stage of turning to Eastern politics. The flight from mechanosis demands it; fear of nuclear war commands it.” Hence, the East wields treasures which are neglected and overlooked by Easterners due to a sort of hypnosis that has long aimed at stymying and stonewalling its economic and social progress because of political designs and schemes. As Ale Ahmad wrote: “Why shouldn’t the nations of the East wake up to see what treasures they hold? Why, just because the machine is Western and we are compelled to adopt it, should we assume all the rest of the West’s standards for life, letters, and art? Why must the logo for UNESCO take the form of the Ionian columns of the Acropolis and not, for instance, the form of the winged bull of Assyria or the columns of the Karnak temple or the Abu Simbel temple in Egypt? Why ought not the Eastern nations put forward their own customs at international gatherings – such as their own sports (dance, archery, yogic exercises) at the Olympics?”

Moreover, the attraction and pull would not exist had there not been a sort of truth and veracity behind Eastern culture and the Eastern way of life. Truth is a universal force which makes no distinction between people based economic, cultural, political, racial, religious, or social factors. As Gandhi wrote: “This insistence (on truth) arms the votary with matchless power.” Gandhi added: “Such a universal force necessarily makes no distinction between kinsmen and strangers, young and old, man and woman, friend and foe. The force to be so applied can never be physical. There is in it no room for violence. The only force of universal application can, therefore, be that of ahimsa or love. In other words, it is a soul force.” 

Such a universal force or ‘soul force’ that is ultimately found in truth can neither do harm to anyone, nor does it deserve to be harmed by anyone. Moreover, and as Victor Hugo said, not even the most powerful army in the world can defeat or stop an idea or a truth whose time has come.