Great Construction

An Age of Halfway Civilization

     Most everyone believes that the present age represents the most advanced civilized world of all time. Indeed, compared to the primitive ages of barbaric and uncivilized peoples, there has certainly been fashioned the form of a high level of civilization, but that civilization is of the material side and on the spiritual side it probably cannot be denied that barbarism has not been but halfway transcended. In fact, since antiquity humanity has continued to spend a large amount of its resources on conflict, and of course, war is the conduit for a great amount of violence, but on the inside, war does not at all differ from beasts who bear their fangs, raise their claws, and seek to consume each other.
     Still, it is a fact that there were also peoples which desired peace and tried to avoid conflict using all possible means. When we consider this situation, it should be no mistake to say that the former groups are composed of the beastly part of humanity and that the latter groups represent the human section of humanity. These two types of human beings continue to behave in ways that satisfy their respective desires. Such as been the course of history and is also the present. There are individual differences in each of these two types of ideology. Without pause continues the processes of using laws to suppress violence and maintain order. It is a fact, however, that good people and virtuous citizens are constantly oppressed by bad people and subjected to harm.
     Let us examine this issue from another aspect. Today, through the advance of science there are tremendous inventions and discoveries, but depending on the will of the individuals utilizing these developments there can be born tragic consequences as well as on the opposite side, there also come about those results that can also play a role in increasing the welfare of humanity. The friction from these two opposing ideologies of barbarism and civilization becomes the cause of war as well as leads to the use of these inventions and discoveries for evil purposes.
     Then again, when we explore these phenomena from still another perspective is generated the necessity for religion as we observe that warring peoples have no religion and that peace-loving nations do have religion. When viewed in such light, even though we call the present an age of a high level of civilization, it is no exaggeration to say that this is indeed an age half-barbaric and half-civilized.
     It is in this sense that the progress of this halfway civilization must be made to move dramatically forward to the point of being a complete civilization in which the material and the spirit are one. 

 Chijôtengoku, Issue 5, page 7, June 25, 1949
translated by cynndd

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“Hanbunmei Jidai” has previously appeared in translation. The citations of their appearances are given below.

“Semi-Civilized Age,” Foundation of Paradise, 1984, page 29.

“Semi-Civilized Age,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume Four, 2007, page 64.