E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Five Fallacies … 125visualised Satyagraha as the universal and ultimate guaranteeagainst injustice.In fact, Gandhi believed that in any society noncooperationagainst evil is a duty, and civil disobedience abirth-right. Let us take Civil Disobedience first: "CivilDisobedience becomes a sacred duty when the State hasbecome lawless or which is the same thing corrupt. (Note: thereis no limiting adjective 'foreign dominated'). And a citizen whobarters with such a State shares its corruption and lawlessness.""I wish I could persuade everyone that Civil Disobedience isthe inherent right of a citizen. He does not give it up, withoutceasing to be a man. It is possible to question the wisdom ofapplying Civil Disobedience in respect of a particular act orlaw; it is possible to advise delay, and caution. But the rightitself cannot be allowed to be questioned. It is a birth-right thatcannot be surrendered without surrender of one's self-respect."Now let us turn to non-cooperation. A major premise ofSatyagraha is the distinction that it draws between the evil andthe evil-doer. The Satyagrahi wants to eliminate the evil, notthe evil-doer. He knows that evil cannot be eliminated byeliminating or suppressing the evil-doer. To him, the process ofeliminating evil lies in (a) desisting from evil; (b) desistingfrom cooperation with evil; (c) weaning the evil-doer from evilthrough persuasion, and non-violent direct action.(a) The Satyagrahi is a seeker after Truth. He cannot, therefore,practise evil or be a party to evil. He has to cease to do, hecannot do, what he wants his adversary to give up. (b) TheSatyagrahi cannot co-operate with evil and be a Satyagrahi."The business of every god-fearing man is to dissociate himselffrom evil in total disregard of consequences. He follows thetruth although the following of it may endanger his very life." 12This duty to dissociate from evil leads to non-cooperation.Non-cooperation may lead to retaliation by the evil-doer. He