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advantage; if they would only leave that behind them for a while,
we know that much could be accomplished using biblical principles,
although the Bible is not an economics textbook with the details
outlined for us.
If people would do that, when these conflicts between the various
interests come about,it wouldn't be a disgrace for the industrialists
not to pass on the increased cost to the consumer. It wouldn't be a
disgrace if he didn't pass it on just to keep his profits up, or
even to enhance them. And it really wouldn't be a disgrace either
for the union leader to not ask for a wage increase, even though his
members expected or have demanded it. It wouldn't be a disgrace for
him to give ground.
In brief, despite all the tough discussions that would take place in
that setting of conflict, it wouldn't be a disgrace for some of those
to think in a larger sense about society for a noment and to not
always try to use the power that they have for their own advantage.
Rather, in certain situations they ought to be prepared to use that
power for the benefit of others. And being ready one time to use that
power for the benefit of others, to give way, to give a little ground,
wouldn't be a disgrace and maybe for once they would really be giving
someone else their coat.
The basic principles are there in the Bible. But you can see that
it's not easy to teach others to practice what we know is going to be
the way in the World Tomorrow. If all the businesses and all the
other various institutions which have to interact one with the other
were to just simply follow what Mr. Armstrong spelled out to me very
clearly when we first met, I ·think you can all visualize that things
would be a little bit different even today. And the same principle,
of course, would apply to neighbor nations working out their border
problems. The results would lead to peace rather than armed conflict.
The Arabs and the Isarelis could settle their differences on this
same basis where each would try to give the other something, where
each would give ground just a little bit so that each would benefit
from the bargain -- where each would be able to return from the "peace
table" with a little bit more than the other ordinarily would be
willing to give.
Well, I didn't intend to preach to you, but Mr. Armstrong's comments
did ring that particular bell for me and I hope that you will think
about it a bit....
. f