37 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
37 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
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So all through history, past and modern, the sense of right and
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justice has inspired man, individually and collectively, to deeds of
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self-sacrifice and devotion, and raised him far above the mean drab-
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ness of every-day existence. It is tragic, of course, that this
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idealism expressed itself in acts of persecution, violence, and slaughter.
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It was the viciousness and self-seeking of king, priest, and master,
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ignornace and fanaticism which determined these forms. But the
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spirit that filled them was that of right and justice. All past experi-
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ence proves that this spirit is ever alive and that it is a powerful and
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dominant factor in the whole scale of human life.
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The conditions of our present-day existence weaken and vitiate this
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noblest trait of man, pervert its manifestation, and turn it into
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channels of intolerance, persecution, hatred and strife. But once man
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is freed from the corrupting influences of material interests, lifted
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out of the ignorance and class antagonism, his innate spirit of right and
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justice would find new forms of expression, forms that would tend
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toward greater brotherhood and goodwill, toward individual peace
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and social harmony.
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Only under anarchy could this spirit come into its full develop-
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ment. Liberated from the degrading and brutalising struggle for our
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daily bread, all sharing labour and well-being, the best qualities
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of man's heart and mind would have opportunity for growth and
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beneficial application. Man would indeed become the noble work of
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nature that he has till now visioned himself only in his dreams.
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It is for these reasonsthat anarchy is the ideal not only of some
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particular element or class, but of all humanity, because it would
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benefit, in the larger sense, all of us. For anarchism is the formulation
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of a universal and perennial desire of mankind.
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Alexander Berkman
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ABC of Anarchism (1929)
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p. 16-17
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