14 Living in Revolution
person who seeks to avoid implication in any evil. Twenty
years ago such an individual asked me why I did not clear
my conscience by declaring that I would never in any way
lend my support to war. I agreed to do so provided he
would immediately clear his conscience by withholding his
taxes which created the war machine.
It is proper for anyone by non-cooperation to make con-
scientious objection to war (the army and navy are full of
young men who object harder than anyone else) provided
he does not claim to be all right. For he is obliged to depend
on others to defend the country which gives him freedom to
object. Otherwise he would permit tyranny of a hideous
sort to engulf us all. If he says he is willing to be engulfed,
he is still not all right for he knows perfectly well that
others will save him from actually facing the consequences.
If one would stay out of evil entirely he could join no
party, belong to no church, support no nation, unite with no
human movement for good; because every organized effort
on earth has to be sustained by people who are quite a little
lower than the angels. Perfectionism inevitably tends to
paralyze action in the name of purity, with nothing to do
but talk and protest. Meanwhile the operation of the world’s
affairs must be left in the hands of the imperfect who are
always with us and glad to take over—especially in politics.
All the best martyrs have made their protest at great cost,
and were sure that neither they nor anyone else could be
all right.
★
Then there is the sentimental type, to which most of us
belong. Admitting that no one can live up to the ideal, we
can compromise here and there and still be fairly good. In
this situation we are like the little girl who said she never
prayed God to help her to be good—she could be good if
she really wanted to be. It seems that if all had a Christlike