ABSTRACT
Mahatma K. Gandhi succeeded in bringing new energy and idealism to the ancient idea of nonviolence, which should make us wonder whether, even in the world accustomed to brute force, it is violence, rather than its counterpart, that necessitates justification. Gandhi roughly divided violence into brutal and instrumental. Gandhi understood brutal violence in analogy with an eruption of the wild forces of nature. Instrumental violence, by contrast, is often controlled, calculated, selfishly oriented, and frequently legally sanctioned. It is important to notice that Gandhi spent far less time dealing with brutal violence than with its counterpart. Gandhi thought that instrumental violence is always insidious because it is based on some deceit and concealment. As violence can be brutal or hidden, so pollution has two main manifestations: blood and dirt. Violence can be bloody. Violence in order to obtain a desired goal, or as a quick fix for an ensuing crisis, for instance in order to protect property or lives.
