Most of us long for a world in which there are no bombings, riots, wars — why then does non-violence seem so difficult to put into action? The challenge of putting non-violence into action is twofold. During his trial, Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s assassin, made an elaborate, almost eloquent, argument justifying the use of violence and explaining its necessity. The first aspect is to counter those, like Godse, who see violence as a necessity, as a means to be deployed to get what they want, or as a tool of either acquiring power or holding on to power.
The second aspect is more complicated. How do we answer the cynicism of those who are not votaries of violence and may actually want to reduce the use of violent methods, but have no faith in non-violence as a philosophy, as a method, as a way of life?