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AS A PANACEA FOR PRESENT DAY MALADIES
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our nature. It is necessary, therefore, to affirm our faith in the principle of non-violence. Respect for others is the basic principle of civilized behaviour.
However, anti-social elements, who do not recognize their obligations to their fellowmen, have to be restrained by force if necessary. The legal restraint of such elements is quite different from the wanton infliction of pain. Our faith in Ahimsā does not mean cowardly submission to aggression. It is resistance to evil without violence in our minds or hatred in our hearts. While non-violence does not mean surrender to evil, it also requires that we should be ready to negotiate for an honourable settlement if and when an opportunity arises. When one's security is endangered, when justice is violated, we are obliged to use force for defensive purposes.
Non-violence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time. Non-violence is not a sterile passivity but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation. As one penetrates deeper and deeper in the search for truth, he discovers the basic truth of his spiritual nature over and above his sensate nature and his spiritual unity and solidarity with all existence. The aftermath of non-violence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness.
In this rapidly changing world man as a human being is becoming eliminated. He is becoming a thing, a mere object. His hopes and visions yield to the material ends of increased production and consumption. He finds it difficult, if not impossible, to exer
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