Violence and Non-Violence
Man has a tendency to cling to catchwords and allow his action to be determined by them almost mechanically without bringing his action in direct relation to the living perception which these words embody. Words have their own place and use in life; but if action is to be intelligent, it is imperatively necessary that the meaning which these words are intended to convey should be carefully analyzed and determined. Among the words which need this type of exploration, there are few which are as important as the words violence and non-violence . They have a direct bearing upon the ideologies which shape not only particular actions but also the entire tenor of life.
Spiritual life is a matter of perception and not a matter of mechanical conformity with rules, even when these rules are meant to stand for the highest values; it implies an understanding which goes beyond all words or formulations. All words and formulations have a tendency to limit the Truth: therefore, those who seek to bring out the spirit underlying these formulations have often to launch upon a searching analysis of the formulated principles, and supplement this analysis by constantly retaining touch with concrete examples taken from life. This is particularly true of those guiding principles of life which are formulated with the help of the opposite concepts of violence and non-violence.
The words violence and non-violence are, in ordinary references, applicable to such diverse situations in practical life that no exposition of the issues involved can be complete unless it takes note of these diverse situations and uses them as a starting point. However, for the purpose of exposition, it is not necessary to exhaust numerically all the possible diversities which would be covered by these words: it is enough to consider some of the most representative situations. The representative situations mentioned have been selected because of their capacity to yield abundant light on the fundamental values which center around the concepts of violence and non-violence.
Meher Baba's message continued by describing five recurrent situations of human suffering and violence .
First situation of helping a drowning man: Suppose a man who does not know how to swim has fallen into a lake and is drowning. And there is nearby another person who is good at swimming and who wants to save him from being drowned. The man who is drowning has a tendency to grasp desperately the person who comes to his help, and the clasping is often so awkward that it may not only make it impossible for the drowning man to be saved, but may even bring about the drowning of the one who has come to help him. One who desires to save a drowning man has, therefore, to render him unconscious by hitting him on the head before he begins to help him. The striking upon the head of the drowning man, under such circumstances, cannot be looked upon either as violence or as non-violence.