January 27, 2014: Ahimsa is not merely a negative state of harmlessness but evil-doer. But it does not mean helping the evil-doer to continue the wrong or tolerating it by passive acquiescence. On the contrary, love, active state of Ahimsa, requires you to resist the wrong-doer by dissociating yourself from him even though it may offend him or injure him physically. Thus if my son lives a life of shame, I may not help him to do so by continuing to support him; on the contrary, my love for him requires me to withdraw all support from him although it may mean even his death. And the same love imposes on me the obligation of welcoming him to my bosom when repents. But I may not by physical force compel my son to become good. That, in my opinion, is the moral of the story of the Prodigal Son.

Non-co-operation is not a passive state; it is an intensely active state – more active than physical resistance or violence. Passive resistance is a misnomer. Non-co-operation, in the sense used by me, must be non-violent and, therefore, neither punitive nor vindictive nor based on malice, ill-will or hatred.

                                                                                                --- Excerpts from Mahatma Gandhi’s preaching