NON-VIOLENCE
It was on 30th January 1948 that the Indian
apostle of non-violence Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi,
was assassinated. He is physically no more, but ideologically immortal. His idea
of non-violence is not going to become irrelevant for innumerable centuries to
come. No doubt that in-between non-violence
will be given short or long holidays and wars will be fought. This will push the worship of life into cold
storage and death will be glorified. Those who defeat the enemy, through
mightier military power, will be
honoured with many adulations and awards. Yet, the ideology of non-violence will continue to
shine because every war ends not only in
peace, but also with some kind of regret and repentance. It is in this context
that non-violence as preached and practiced by Gandhiji remains and will remain
perpetually relevant.
Given below are a few thoughts on non-violence
in Gandhiji’s own words.
“It is no
non-violence if we merely love those that love us. It is non-violence only when we love those
that hate us. I know how difficult it is
to follow this general love of love. Ut are
not all great and good thing difficult to do? Love of the hater Is the most difficult
of all. But by the grace of God even
this most difficult thing becomes easy to accomplish if we want to do it.”
“I have
found that life persists in the midst of destruction and there must be a higher
law than that of destruction. Only under
that law would a well-ordered society be intelligible and life worth living. And if that is the law of life, we have to
work it out in daily life. Whenever there
are jars, whenever you are confronted with an opponent conquer him with
love. In this crude manner I have worked
it out in my life. That does not mean that all my difficulties ae solved. Only I have found that this law of love ha
answer as the law of destruction has never done.”
“I saw
that nations like individuals could only be made through the agony of the Cross
and in no other way. Joy comes not out of infliction of pain on others out of
pain voluntarily borne by oneself.”
(Refence:
All Men Are Brothers, UNESCO 1958).
*******
30th
January 2022 G.R.Kanwal
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