Page 26 - JOURNAL OF THE KRISHNAMURTI SCHOOLS

the journal of the krishnamurti schools no.25

best trained biologist or engineer or physician, modelling a system
on a powerful computer, all rely on the applications of quantum
theories. The banking system, international trade and investments,
travel, the so-called ‘social media’, all depend on the virtual space
of the internet. The economies of nations and the global economy
of trade and commerce would collapse if ever the trillions of bytes
in e-space were to vanish. We cannot now envisage or imagine
what human life and society would be like if this were to happen.
The ‘outer’ that K refers to in the passage cited above consists of all
this and more.
In short, both classical Newtonian theory and quantum theory
have created an Aladdin’s lamp which has delivered undreamt of
power into the hands of human beings in the outer world. But
sadly, this power has proved to be a double-edged sword. It has
‘conquered’ the natural world in order to deliver many benefits, but
it has also enabled humankind to assault itself (as well as nature)
with death, destruction and suffering on an unprecedented scale.
During the two World Wars, between 100 to 200 million peo-
ple died or were maimed or displaced through the use of machine
guns and battle tanks, poison gas, the carpet bombing of civil-
ians, ethnic cleansing, all topped by the atomic bombing of Hiro-
shima and Nagasaki. In the post-World war period, the violence
has continued in ideologically inspired wars, local national wars,
civil wars and in recent years in religion-based terrorism within
and against nations. There is also the endemic problem of racism
which erupts into overt violence from time to time. We now live
in a world armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons (and also of
course conventional weapons). Modern technology has enabled all
this. While it has enabled millions to live comfortably and some to
live in great luxury, many more millions who support these com-
fortable and luxurious lives themselves live in great poverty and
often lead migratory lives moving from city to city far from home
in search of work.

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