Paul stayed briefly in Philadelphia. He became a naturalized
citizen, for the second time taking a formal oath of allegiance to
the United States. Now he had to make a choice as to where to
continue his education. It was time to explore more of America. While
in the service one of his officers spoke highly of Southern
California and its pleasant climate. Accordingly Paul applied to and
was admitted to the University of California at Los Angeles.
I hereby declare, on oath, that I
absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and
fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of
whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;
that I will support and defend the Constitution and law of the United
States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by
the law;
that I will perform work of national importance under civilian
direction when required by the law;
and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation
or purpose of evasion: So help me God.
California was another state of the Union that Paul was able to
explore. Hollywood turned out not as glamorous as he expected. But he
was getting a good education, both in the humanities and in business
administration, his practical choice of a major. With the help of
part time jobs and his veterans benefits he was able to support
himself.
Following his graduation he started to work for the County
government. Now another unexpected event turned him in the right
direction. The phenomenal growth of the County mandated the
automation of its property records. A pioneering large scale computer
system was installed. Paul's continuous interest in new ideas and
techniques lead him to apply to work with the new system. He now
learned about the systems approach, the way to organize and operate
complex activities. "Chaos can be organized." Paul hoped that perhaps
the chaotic activities of humanity, so often turning into disaster,
could be improved through better systems and institutions.
Paul now reached the financial security to start a family. He met
Florence -- Florrie -- and marriage followed quickly. They had three
children, and Paul should have been able to settle down to lead a
normal life. But his past drove him on to gain more experience and
knowledge of the world.
Paul switched jobs. He started working for the aerospace industry.
There he discovered the military-industrial complex -- the endless
quest for ever more powerful weapons, and incidentally, endlessly
increasing military expenditures and profits. He should have been
satisfied with raising a family and enjoying a good middle-class life
style.
But an obsession began to take hold of Paul. He could not forget the
Holocaust and the death of so many innocent victims. He tried to
understand why and how such acts of genocide could have happened.
Because everywhere he saw the military as guards and facilitators he
sensed that there was a connection. Accordingly history, and
especially military history became another preoccupation. He gained a
good knowledge of war and militarism, and started to understand why
humanity was tormented by such a harmful social institution.
Paul's historical researches also gave him a glimmering of the cure
to the sickness of militarism. He learned about the exploits of
Alexander the Great. This king of Macedonia united ancient Greece,
conquered the Persian Empire and tried to set up the universal human
commonwealth more than two thousand years ago.
One of the most successful military leaders
in world history, he would have been just another of the conquerors
of temporary empires -- like Genghis Khan or Napoleon -- except his
vision went beyond military campaigns and battles. Forcibly uniting
the warring Greek city-states, he undertook the conquest of the huge
Persian Empire. Unlike modern day military leaders who typically hide
in safe bomb shelters, he personally led the decisive charges of his
cavalry in key battles. Because of his personal bravery, he gained
the respect of the very people he conquered. And along the way he
learned the secret of the unity of mankind. At his great feast of
reconciliation at Opis, attended by representatives from the
provinces of his great empire, he proclaimed his philosophy of
reconciliation and brotherhood. His conception of unity was Concord
among the nations, which demanded the elimination of their mutual
antagonism.
His philosophy of reconciliation may be summarized as:
God is the common father of mankind
All men are brothers and should live in Concord without strife and
quarreling
There is a divine mission to be the harmonizer and reconciler of the
world, to bring it to pass that all men, being brothers, should live
together in Concord, in unity of heart and mind.
His early death stopped the implementation
of his ideas within his own empire. Yet his philosophy was passed
onto the Roman Empire, where ultimately the subject people received
Roman citizenship and equality before the law. The founding fathers
of the United States were influenced by these ideas. They created
institutions that similarly enable the functioning of a multi-racial,
multi-ethnic society -- perhaps ultimately becoming a model for a
unified world commonwealth.