If you have ever traveled extensively, you may have experienced the frustration of keeping your finances straight. Likely you had the challenge of converting your Japanese yen into German marks, then into Italian lire, over into English pounds or maybe American dollars, all the while trying to figure out what this or that would cost “in real money.” Thus, no doubt you can see the advantage that world unity would bring in just such a small matter as common currency.

Or what about those endless passport and customs controls? What an inconvenience and what a loss of time! These, too, would cease were world unity a reality. No more: “Would you open your suitcases, please? How long do you plan on staying? Where?” and sometimes even “Why?”—almost as though you were not really wanted.

Of course, these are minor inconveniences when compared to the really BIG problems that world unity would solve. Gone would be the political differences, faultfinding and name-calling that only too often escalate into trade embargoes, currency restrictions, disruption of diplomatic relations and sometimes climax in war itself, with all its needless misery and suffering.

If people could resolve their political differences, think of the tremendous amount of money, presently set aside for national defense, that would immediately become available! This money could provide everyone with decent housing and dignified employment and working conditions. It could make desolate areas habitable, build roads and hospitals, and improve the educational system. Why, the list of possibilities is almost endless!

Some consider world unity, however, as purely Utopian. Why even the Holy Roman Empire and the British Empire broke up with time, they will point out. Even stable federal governments are having problems, like the government of Canada, which is concerned that Quebec might break away from the rest of the country.

So although desirable, there seem to be heavy undercurrents running against world unity. Abba Eban, former foreign minister of Israel, once said: “A paradox of our times is that the proliferation of small nation-states goes hand in hand with a search for wider forms of integration, as exemplified in the United Nations, the European Economic Community, the Organization of American States and the Organization of African Unity.” The intervening 14 years since these words were spoken only serve to verify them, because during this period many new nations have come into existence: Angola, Bangladesh and Botswana to mention only three.