ASK MAULANA

Such people do not know that “not to fight” is not simply that if no one fights you, you do not fight with anyone. "Not to fight" means that if someone comes to fight you, still you should not fight with him. Nonviolence does not mean remaining peaceful so long as no one is acting violently towards you. It means to refrain from violence even in face of violence. If someone seeks to provoke you, you should not allow yourself to get provoked. If someone conspires against you, you should render the conspiracy ineffective through wisdom and silent, positive action. Unity is crucial for the joint working of the citizens of a country, so that they can contribute to the successful advancement of their nation. How should we practice this unity? When the Indian journalist Khushwant Singh visited Japan, he enquired about the prospects of the legal profession there. He was told that it was not a flourishing business. The reason being the fact that the Japanese preferred settling disputes on their own to suing in the courts. Willingness to admit faults by each party is the surest way to bring quarrels to an end. It is only when either party seeks to place the whole blame on the other side that the quarrel takes a turn for the worse. Whereas the very gesture of shouldering the blame softens up the other side, with the result that the dispute dies a natural death. This realistic attitude has greatly benefited the Japanese in many respects. For instance, this makes them place their trust in one another. Thus they save the time and money they would otherwise expend on lengthy legal documents. Most of the commercial institutions trust in verbal understandings. Formerly it was practiced only among Japanese, but now foreign investors have also started to take advantage of this practice. Avoidance of unnecessary legal obligations invariably speeds up the work. Essentially, such an outlook gives rise to unity. It is undoubtedly the greatest force that contributes to the success of a nation. In the words of an expert of Japanese affairs, the secret of Japan’s success lies in: “Never quarrelling amongst themselves, always doing everything together.” o If you fail to act you cannot compensate for it by speaking more.