ultimately led to violence. The environment of mutual well-
wishing has come to an end.
Any movement which sets itself up against the prevailing system
is unnatural. The right kind of movement is one which is based on
the reform of the mind.
In fact, the systemhas no separate existence.The system is put in
place by virtue of the thinking and organizational skills of a group of
people. If the human beings, the individuals who make up the group
are reformed, the system that will emerge as their social mainstay
will naturally be a reformed system. According to the law of nature,
the movement of reform begins from the individual and not from
the system. Any movement which is set in motion in the name of the
reform of the system will, at the very outset, produce confrontation
between two or more groups of people. And where there is hatred
and confrontation, all possibility of reform is nullified.
Virtuous Movement, Non-virtuous Movement
A
satan is latent within every person. This satan is a hate bomb.
Everyone potentially carries this hate bomb within him. This hate
bomb, in normal situations, lies dormant, but if it is awakened, it
flares up beyond all limits and then it wreaks havoc. Events tell us
that there are no men and women in this world who are an exception
to this rule.
This state of affairs means, in other words, that man is made of
a highly inflammable material. If there are 10,000 men in a society,
this means that society is made up of 10,000 highly combustible
components. It is, in fact, personal interest which compels man, in
spite of being violent in nature, to keep the peace. In such a situation
the task of leadership is very difficult. The leader who has nothing
to offer but slogans, voicing complaints and protests, should never
enter this field, for negative slogans will only provoke people to the
point where society will be turned into a mass of highly inflammable
material which could burst into flames at any moment.
It is incumbent upon the leader to launch his movement
in society, only if he has slogans of love with which to inspire his
followers. If all he has to offer is hatred and complaints, then he had
much better not attempt to lead any social movement. He should
rather confine himself to his home, thereby at least ensuring his own
salvation.
The End of the Age of Violence
23
