essay on NON-violence by aldous huxley
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Here and there a few humanitarians and philosophers have occasionally looked into the prospect of moulding a new world order based on the lines of non-violence. Novelists like Tolstoy, essayists like George Orwell, H.G.Wells, Arnold Toynbee, Aldous Huxley and many others have inculcated the principles of non-violence which is fit to be adopted in international crises management. We have the fine political examples of many mighty empires having been brought down by non-violent revolutions carried out by peasants and agricultural labourers as those led by Gandhi and his contemporaries in India. Still we are reluctant to accept the principles of non-violence as our political problems solving policy. It is due to the devious and treacherous basic traits latent in man as an animal that nations still resort to violence when they have to address a problem, social, political, economical or ethnical.
Aldous Huxley was born into a family of generations of great intellectuals.
Thomas Huxley, senior brother of Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley was a British essayist, novelist and critic. He belonged to a family of distinguished scientists and thinkers. The celebrated scientist Thomas Huxley was his great grand-father and the famous educationalist Thomas Arnold was his great grand-uncle. Poet Matthew Arnold was his grand uncle. His mother was a distinguished educationalist and his father Leonard Huxley was a writer. The famous biologist Sir. Julian Huxley was his elder brother. The Burning Wheel , Chrome Yellow, Brave New World , Proper Studies and Music At Night are a few of his major works. Aldous Huxley was one of the chief intellectual driving forces of his times. His essays are gentle and imaginative. The present essay discusses how non-violence is applicable to individuals, groups, nations and the people of the new industrial age.
Non-violence comes to prisons and asylums in the nineteenth century in England.
Bethlehem Mental Hospital in London in 1896.
Non-violence is the policy of passive resistance. Resistance indeed is there, only that it is not active. It has the power to overcome evil, anger and hatred. The principles of non-violence have been applied systematically in solving social and medical problems which were considered to be completely insoluble. In the past, violence prevailed over the handling of the insane, the criminal and the savage. It made the victim only incurable. Asylums and prisons were places where inmates were treated with cruelty and violence. Asylums were filthy places with dungeons, chains and torture chambers. The insane were subjected to violence as if they were criminals. In 1815 a committee of the British M.P.s investigated the state of Bethlehem Hospital in London and found it appalling. Sine then, non-violent treatment has been adopted, showing kindness and sympathy. Similarly, in prisons, torture made the innocents demoralized and the criminals more criminal. When John Howard began his investigations on prison life in the 18th century, the only decent prisons in Europe were those in Amsterdam, Holland being a country with lesser crimes. Since then, there have been many prison reforms. Thus Huxley adeptly proves that non-violence is applicable in relations of individuals with other individuals.
essay on NON-violence by Aldous Huxley
first release: August 21, 2012
Wars occur when national policies clash. Despite efforts made by the nations of the globe to reach a peaceful solution, this has always been the case. War and violence are sisters, and powerful nations do not feel ashamed to use violence against their neighbours and future brothers. Since the first daybreak following the emergence of civilization, nonviolence has been the cherished dream of all people. Due to the psychological conditions of the world's psyche, this dream's realization is still very far off.
We have a long history of victorious nonviolent conflicts to emulate, yet we still struggle to apply this tried-and-true idea.
Aldous Huxley's great-granduncle Thomas Arnold Teacher.
A few philosophers and humanitarians have periodically considered the possibility of creating a new global order based on the principles of non-violence. Authors like Tolstoy, H.G. Wells, Arnold Toynbee, Aldous Huxley, and many more have instilled the values of nonviolence appropriate for managing global crises. We have the admirable political precedents of several strong empires overthrown by peaceful revolutions led by peasants and agricultural workers, such as those in India led by Gandhi and his contemporaries. Even now, we are hesitant to adopt nonviolent conflict resolution as our guiding concept. Because of the cunning and treacherous, Nations still use violence to address social, political, economic, or ethnic problems because of fundamental animal tendencies in man.