E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

203 Contextualising Gandhian Thoughtnon-violence.Again, the progress of civilisation has shown thathuman nature does not continue to be what it was in the StoneAge or even in comparatively recent history. Instances can becited to prove that man's attitudes and responses to situationsand institutions are not precisely what they were some yearsago. What was regarded as impossible has been proved to bepossible in man's ability to control nature. There is no reason toassume that man will not be able to acquire greater control overhis mind or his own nature. What is described as human natureis not a monolith. It is an ensemble. The many elements that goto make it respond jointly and severally, and result in thesubmergence or emergence of what leads to harmony orcohesion in society and the individual himself. The record ofthe progress that we have achieved hitherto is reason foroptimism, not pessimism. The survival of mankind may welldepend on the displacement of selfishness and greed with loveand non-violence, or at least an acceptance of theinterdependence of interests.As for the testimony of history: "It may be askedwhether history at any time records such a change in humannature. Such changes have certainly taken place in individuals.One may not perhaps be able to point to them in a wholesociety. But this only means that uptill now there has neverbeen an experiment on a large scale in non-violence. Somehowor other, the wrong belief has taken possession of us thatAhimsa is pre eminently a weapon for individuals and its useshould, therefore, be limited to that sphere. In fact this is notthe case. Ahimsa is definitely an attribute of society. Toconvince people of this truth is at once my effort and myexperiment. In this age of wonders, no one will say that a thingor idea is worthless because it is new .... things undreamt of aredaily being seen, the impossible is becoming possible. We are