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Nature’s Law in Our Progress 423There is a struggle, an opposition of ideas, impulses and interests,an attempt of each to profit by various kinds of waron the others, by a kind of intellectual, vital, physical robberyand theft or even by the suppression, devouring, digestion ofits fellows rather than by a free and rich interchange. This isthe aspect of life which humanity in its highest thought andaspiration knows that it has to transcend, but has either notyet discovered the right means or else has not had the forceto apply it. It now endeavours instead to get rid of strife andthe disorders of growth by a strong subordination or servitudeof the life of the individual to the life of the community and,logically, it will be led to the attempt to get rid of strife betweencommunities by a strong subordination or servitude of the lifeof the community to the united and organised life of the humanrace. To remove freedom in order to get rid of disorder, strife andwaste, to remove diversity in order to get rid of separatism andjarring complexities is the impulse of order and regimentationby which the arbitrary rigidity of the intellectual reason seeks tosubstitute its straight line for the difficult curves of the processof Nature.But freedom is as necessary to life as law and regime; diversityis as necessary as unity to our true completeness. Existenceis one only in its essence and totality, in its play it is necessarilymultiform. Absolute uniformity would mean the cessation oflife, while on the other hand the vigour of the pulse of life maybe measured by the richness of the diversities which it creates.At the same time, while diversity is essential for power and fruitfulnessof life, unity is necessary for its order, arrangement andstability. Unity we must create, but not necessarily uniformity. Ifman could realise a perfect spiritual unity, no sort of uniformitywould be necessary; for the utmost play of diversity would besecurely possible on that foundation. If again he could realise asecure, clear, firmly-held unity in the principle, a rich, even anunlimited diversity in its application might be possible withoutany fear of disorder, confusion or strife. Because he cannot do eitherof these things he is tempted always to substitute uniformityfor real unity. While the life-power in man demands diversity,