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PASSAGE – II (Q. 196–200)
Violence has played a great part in the world’s history. It is today playing an equally important part and probably it will continue to do so for a considerable time. It is impossible to ignore the importance of violence in the past and present. To do so is to ignore life. Yet violence is undoubtedly bad and brings an unending trail of evil consequences with it. Andworse even than violence are the motives of hatred, cruelty,revenge and punishment which very often accompany vio-lence. Indeed violence is bad, not intrinsically, but because ofthese motives that go with it. There can be violence withoutthese motives; there can be violence for a good object as wellas for an evil object. But it is extremely difficult to separateviolence from these motives, and therefore, it is desirable toavoid violence as far as possible. In avoiding it, howeversomeone cannot accept a negative attitude of submitting tobad and far greater evils. Submission to violence or the ac-ceptance of an unjust regime based on violence is againstthe spirit of non-violence. The non-violent method, in order tojustify itself, must be dynamic and capable of changing sucha regime of social order.
Violence has played a great part in the world’s history. It is today playing an equally important part and probably it will continue to do so for a considerable time. It is impossible to ignore the importance of violence in the past and present. To do so is to ignore life. Yet violence is undoubtedly bad and brings an unending trail of evil consequences with it. Andworse even than violence are the motives of hatred, cruelty,revenge and punishment which very often accompany vio-lence. Indeed violence is bad, not intrinsically, but because ofthese motives that go with it. There can be violence withoutthese motives; there can be violence for a good object as wellas for an evil object. But it is extremely difficult to separateviolence from these motives, and therefore, it is desirable toavoid violence as far as possible. In avoiding it, howeversomeone cannot accept a negative attitude of submitting tobad and far greater evils. Submission to violence or the ac-ceptance of an unjust regime based on violence is againstthe spirit of non-violence. The non-violent method, in order tojustify itself, must be dynamic and capable of changing sucha regime of social order.
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