(...Contd)

Four Attributes
The four attributes go together: Fearlessness, Truth, Nonviolence and Humility. All the four are equally important. Fear is the greatest enemy of mankind. Therefore, fear has to go. Truth is absolutely vital for it; but truth at any cost does not mean that truth should be bitter. Satyam bruyaat, priyam bruyaat; na bruyaat satyam-apriyam.
One should be realistic also. You cannot expect absolute nonviolence to be followed by everybody. Only a few people, very few people, can practise it to perfection.
Absolute truth also can be strictly followed only by a few. But the greater the number of people who adhere to this principle, the greater will be the number of common people who will be attracted to follow this ideal. And that will increase the nation’s strength.
If the people are strong and fearless, no man can think of making them subservient. Violence and democracy are a contradiction in terms.
But all this must be done consciously and it will come from education. Education has to be reoriented. Education should enable a person to know his own limitations and to know his capacity; it should also enable him to overcome his defects and increase his self-confidence, self-reliance and capacity. Instead of this, helplessness comes from the present-day education. Educated people are going about crying that they do not get this or that. What is the use of education which does not give people self-confidence?
We are all suffering from the hangover of the British rule and we are still carrying on the pattern of education, fashioned by them for their own imperial rule. Our country never had any territorial ambition at any time nor will it ever have.
We believe in being serviceable to other people. We do not believe in coveting things, but in giving things. Life is to give but not to take. That is India’s basic philosophy.