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was not confined to religion or to the progress of the soul but, he said, it should permeate one's life and be reflected in every field of activity. Children and the young, women and the old can practice it. There are two conditions necessary. Love for all and a steadfast belief in God, who is love personified. It should become a way of life, he emphasized, and be used for achieving world peace.
Gandhi's concept of non-violence was influenced by anekant philosophy. In 1925, he observed in 'Young India' : "I believed that I was always right and my honest critics wrong. But now I realize that we both were right in our own ways. Then I stopped criticizing my opponents or critics. I learnt that I must try to look at the situation or a problem from a Muslim's or a Sikh's point of view." He later said, "My principle of anekant is based on two things - truth and non-violence."
Gandhi protested against the practice of animal killing either for making drugs or in the name of religion. If one's thoughts or action is guided by
A Journey
of Ahimsa 29
