My Life

My Life - Oswald Mosleynot surprising that soldiers and others who have most experience of violence are oftenthe most ready for the change. The knowledge that it is horrible is added in their caseto the plain sense that it is childish and ridiculous. We must do everything in theworld to avoid violence short of abandoning our world; the values which are theheritage of three thousand years.There is always a point of misery and humiliation at which life is not worth living andbrave men prefer to die. This attitude was superbly stated by Shakespeare: 'What'sbrave, what's noble, let's do it after the high Roman fashion, and make death proud totake us'; by Racine: 'Est-ce un malheur si grand que de cesser de vivre?'; by Goethe inhis Achilleus: 'Aus der Hand der Verzweiflung nimmt er den herrlichen Kranz einesunverwelklichen Sieges'. These classic thoughts are appropriate to a moment whenmankind approaches suicide. Yet we shall not now reach the point either of despair orheroism in the affairs of nations, unless the world goes mad; because in such event theother side know, or can be made to realise, that they too will die. We now need theadult mind on each side, and shall find it. The arrangement of the world has become amatter for those who understand that force is the last, the saddest of necessities, andthat between nations it is now doom.39 of 424