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JALNISM AND WORLD) PROBLEMS
to conceal their real designs and greedy evil ambitions. They will deceive themselves and quite as easily others. The future of the world depends now more than ever before on our youths, and it is imperative that they should have their minds saturated with all those noble ideas and ideals that will make it impossible for them to take the false step and the wrong view of things. Then alone we can hope to have Peace and Plenty in the World. Disarmament, or the reduction of armaments, is, no doubt, a great thing, and surely a step in the right direction, to reduce human burdens; but I wish to lay emphasis on the fact that it will never put an end to war by itself, unless backed by the nobler impulses proceeding from a heart that is saturated, through and through, with ahimsa. There was a time when the armies were very limited in numbers, when there were no destructive guns, when aeroplanes were unknown; but even then nations fought with one another, as they do to-day. It is clear, then, that only those who believe in and practise ahimsa in their daily life will succeed in stopping warfare, not those whose hearts are set on wordly goods and greatness and territory.
Ahiinsa will also improve the relations between capital and labour by opening out the outlook of both the parties, and making them less egoistic and more obliging and generous. At present the world is being run by capitalists, in the interests of capitalism, and the capitalists are really in power in various ways, and influence things wherever and whenever they like. It is, of course, inevitable that inequalities must prevail in the world; and they have always prevailed in the world. What is objectionable is the exploitation of the poor in the interests of the rich as a class. · Ahimsa teaches us that human beings should be respected always as human beings, and not treated as the equivalents of dead force or as so many foot-pounds of energy (work). To treat them as such would be as good as looking upon
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