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"No Peter, you've got it all wrong. I am not in any danger, and neither is our country. Just look around you, things still function reasonably well."
"That's an illusion, Anton. Every society that has committed itself to exist aside from the Principle of Universal Love is in danger, individually and globally, including the West and its empires. You can close your eyes to this principle as the whole world does, but you can't escape the consequences," I said strongly. "If you trash the very foundation that civilization is built on, you will loose whatever civilization you still have, and so will the entire world. That's the reality you cannot escape from. So I invite you to dance with me. There is no danger in that. The danger lies in not doing it, and that should be scary to you, because it truly is. And that is why your life is in danger, as is mine in America for the same reason. So dance with me, because it is possible even for both the East and the West to collapse its civilization so deeply, and drag the rest of mankind into that sewer with it, that mankind looses the ability to face the next Ice Age with the resources of our humanity sufficiently developed. If we trash our humanity that we need to survive, we won't survive. In this case we'll all die. As a matter of fact the Soviet Union nearly didn't survive several times for much lesser reasons, when nuclear war stood at its doorsteps. Did you know that just a few months ago our President had put the preemptive nuclear-first-strike option onto the table? He was afraid that the Soviet Union might take advantage of the financial crisis in the West and strike us down in our vulnerability. Did you know that, Anton? We came that close to loosing our world. So tell me, how close is too close? When do we find it not scary to take the steps to step out of this trap? The nuclear option was on the table several times before, as you might know. The last time it took a great deal of effort to persuade our crazy President not to pursue the preemptive option. We were lucky. As I said, we had been luck several times before. How long do you think we should continue to play this game of roulette? Only the Principle of Universal Love can stop this game and assure that this nightmare won't happen again in the future and become real one day in the middle of some dark night when no one is awake enough to stop it."
Antonovna shook her head and covered her face with her hands.
"I am not making this up," I said to her. "Your country nearly ceased to exist. It was that close. Steve and I were both involved in putting water on this hot situation so that it didn't become a fire. Nor will we ever know for certain how many times we've come that close before, on both sides."
"Are you saying that you were involved in holding back your President?" she said moments later after the shock wore off.
"I and many others, Anton, including Steve. But that's not the point. The point is that we are all in great danger because of the growing madness that results when we society lets go of the Principle of Universal Love. Whenever this principle is lost it makes no difference whether people are called communists, capitalists, socialists, or whatever. These things don't matter when we are dead. When we are dead and rotting in the ditches we all look alike and are alike. The only thing that really matters is what keeps us staying alive, and that is the Principle of Universal Love. Some call it the Principle of Our Common Humanity, or the Principle of the General Welfare, or the Principle of the Advantage of the Other. It has many faces and many expressions, but its Spirit is one. If we let go of this principle, no matter how we do it, we become fascist and won't survive long, especially in a nuclear-armed world. The Principle of Universal Love is the only platform we have that can prevent us from reaching for those fascist weapons that we have created for killing us all within moments of rage. So, I'll invite you again, Anton, to dance with me. That would be a start. And 'dance' with your people. Make the Principle of Universal Love the brightest star in your heavens. Your life literally hangs in the balance, as does everyone's. But more than this, remember, love is the greatest thing in the world. We should embrace the Principle of Universal Love just for its brightness alone. Ultimately love can't be a political project, nor does it need to be. It is a gem in itself, the brightest we've got. Nor does it really matter how we've lost its luster. If a diamond falls into the mud, we can pick it up and wash it clean and it will sparkle again. A diamond never ceases to be a diamond, even if it falls into the mud and becomes soiled for a time. That's how we must see one another as the most precious gem of life that we are, and thereby overcome that barrier against the Principle of Universal Love. And why shouldn't we? In truth, we, humanity as a whole, are that diamond that sparkles in the light."
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