Ghandi, The Man not the Myth - Essay Example

?Jessica Watters Mikal Non-Violence June 2nd, Gandhi, The Man not the Myth Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was a simple individual made complex by the people around him, his admirers and critics. For Gandhi, admiration and criticism were alternative beats of the same heart. He had reached such a level of poise and composure of the mind, that secular ripple of any kind did not affect his inner core. In his lifetime he was in the thick of the Indian Freedom Movement and politics, without ever occupying the seat of power. His divine aura had a magnetic pull that attracted the common people and the top leaders of the country. He also commanded an international audience. Purity in life and integrity in actions were his mottos. He did not believe in politicization of spirituality but spiritualization of politics. He lit the torch of non-violence for his struggles in South Africa and carried it through his life, with an uncompromising dedication. He had powerful issues to fight with, like racism, violence, religious fanaticism, and colonialism. Since truth (Satygraha) was at the root of all his battles, he had no confusion about his goals, for he knew his destination. To him, how he did, what he did, and the honest means employed were more important than the violent tactics normally adopted by the politicians. Truth remained at the root of his integrated approach to life, and by non-violence he meant vitality without destruction, with no opportunity for weakness or fear for challenging injustice. Religion enveloped every action in his life In 1944 Albert Einstein said, “Generations to come, it may be, will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth,”. He spoke of Gandhi as an angel, that only occurs once on earth. That was the time when Gandhi was at the peak of spiritual advancement and the Indian Freedom struggle had entered the conclusive phase. Most of the people then and even today understand the superficial Gandhi, a tall lean figure with a walking stick and robe. They were enthusiastic about following him, without understanding the basic principles for which he stood for. In turn he mixed freely with the people, irrespective of their class or official status and at the same time he maintained the essential dignity needed in a true leader. He possessed personal assets like purity in personal lifestyles, good dietary practices (he was a strict vegetarian), celibacy, and a life devoid of violence (ahimsa) His dietary practices were often ridiculed and termed as impractical for a hardworking and busy individual. However, Gandhi knew the scientific justification for his pursuits in this area, which he considered as an important aspect for his spiritual advancement. Gandhi’s food discipline is part of this theory. His mother took advice from a Jain priest and the 5 five great vows of Jainism are: nonviolence, truth, non-stealing, celibacy, and non possession (Holmes, p.6). Those taking junk and non-vegetarian foods are prone to anger, restlessness and unsteady behavior, get upset over frivolous issues and have jealous dispositions. Gandhi terms his life as an experiment with truth, and he tendered convincing proofs for all his actions. Gandhi does not expect everyone to follow his principles blindly and as the man with the divine orientation he knows that each individual is born with a level of progression. There is a place in which he has to commence the one’s own journey of life from the given set of circumstances. When the individuals are honest about their intentions and have an unselfish approach, all problems, personal, societal, national and international, can be solved. Apparently, this may seem hard to obtain, but this is the only alternative to challenge the issues confronting humankind. Treading the spiritual path is a gradual process and the episodes presented by Gandhi chronologically in the book need to be understood in this context. As one progresses spiritually, many a past beliefs turn myths. Meaning, such an individual has transcended the past to discover new horizons. Gandhi’s personal beliefs changed with the political environment of the country, which was coping with issue of independence. The colonial power once held him as the criminal and put him in jail on several occasions for breaking the law of their governance. Satyagraha-Gandhi’s spiritual weapon Turn the pages of history of humankind; no country has produced a political and spiritual leader clubbed into one, comparable to Gandhi’s stature. In Chapter “That Memorable Week!-Part II” Mahatma Gandhi argues, “ I spoke at length on the duty of nonviolence and on the limitations of Satyagraha and said: Satyagraha is essentially a weapon of the truthful…” (467)Non-violence is the major ingredient of this nonviolent action-oriented concept. It is the type of internal rebellion, where resistance to injustice is through the collective will power of the people. The following example will reveal how he converted the form of protest into a glorious historical event. Stanley Wolpert writes about an incident relating to the arrest of Gandhi, “ Bapu slept like a child committed to his Father’s hands, “ Verrier Elwin recalled, ‘I thought of Christ….suddenly a whisper: ‘The police have come.’ We started up and I saw…..a fully uniformed Commissioner of Police at the foot of Bapu’s bed……. ‘Mr. Gandhi, it is my duty to arrest you.’ A beautiful smile of welcome broke out on Bapu’s face. He never resisted arrest, but since it was silent Monday he did not say a word, taking out a pencil to write, “I will be ready to come with you in half an hour.”(Wolpert, 164) This is but one example of Gandhi’s non-violent approach to the freedom struggle of Indian independence. A violent scene could have been created by his followers in the Ashram, but none of them protested and co-operated with the laws-enforcing authorities. Gandhi has rightly named this autobiographical documentation as his experiments with truth. One may not agree with some of his conclusions, nor does he exhibit any forced inclination to make one agree, he just longs for understanding. He deals with issues like food habits, politics, justice and the law (he is extremely suited to discuss on the subject of law, being a barrister), comparative religion, chastity etc. The beauty of the writing is, he is not interested in preaching or intends to lead one on his chosen path. He states facts and the reader has the liberty to agree or disagree with the way he functions and his lifestyle. The Complete Man, the Magnificent Manager The smallest details of life were as important to him as the profound political decisions that affected the destiny of people of colonial India. He did not practice two sided strategies and remained true to his word and deed. The subject of hygiene was dear to his heart and he taught basic sanitation habits firstly to the Indian community in South Africa and then during the Champaran campaign in India, where he established schools and taught proper sanitation practices to the oppressed farmers. About his campaign in Champaran Gandhi argues, “The Champaran struggle was a proof of the fact that disinterested service of the people in any sphere ultimately helps the country politically.”(415) His campaign against untouchability, an evil practice of the Hindus, is unprecedented in the history of social reformation movements in India. Though a devout Hindu, he always carried the sacred text of Bhagavad Gita with him, He was said to have read the Gita 1000 times (Holmes, p.2). The Gita stresses the importance of lessons concerns of the body and making the concerns of the sprit the primary. (Holmes, p.20). His secular credentials were impeccable, and he worked for the unity of Hindus and Muslims relentlessly. Unfortunately he failed to prevent the partition of the country on religious lines, into Hindustan and Pakistan in the year 1947, when the colonial rulers had to separate the continent by granting independence. Gandhi was a great economist and clever at planning. He anticipated the post-independence problems that were likely to confront the people of India. His fascination for homespun cloth (Khadi) and the revival of cottage industries were the groundwork to provide employment to a large number of skilled and semi-skilled artisans of the country. It was a grand solution to tackle the rural unemployment problem. He visualized, how in a country like India, material prosperity was as important as practice of spirituality. His stand on religion was whole hearted and he tried to make it understood by every politician of the country. In the cited book(1993) Gandhi argues "I can say without the slightest hesitation, and yet in all humility, that those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means. (504)At the same time, no religious principles were acceptable to him, unless they contributed to the improvement of the conditions of the poor, by providing them the basic necessities of life. The negative aspects of Gandhi A man who is in the relentless pursuit of truth, and a man who is always willing to learn through experiments in life, one who has no hidden agendas, a man who acknowledges his weaknesses and ready to make amends, it is pointless to look out for negative traits. However there are some I can find. Firstly, although he truly believed it was for the better good, Gandhi put himself at harm for his actions. He believed public sins were his own sins, punishing himself for others crimes. The bloodbaths in India after Pakistan was born caused him to wake up early to pray, and fast in an unhealthy state. At 77 years old he walked from village to village in Bengal, without shoes in order to live like a poor person. Through demonstration, Gandhi never revealed fear. He knew that certain aspects of his tactics were uncommon or unusual but he was persistent because he believed fear led to violence. Fear caused nations to search for physical protection, by dangerous means. So he gave up emotional ties to family and friends, which in my opinion is giving up on the closest love there is. He lost the true sense of loving close ones. When grieving people came to Gandhi, he barely offered them comfort; he said that evil and violence could only be overcome through patient suffering. Gandhi’s major principle was leading with love. However, he did not see that sometimes love is smoother, possibly because of his lack of close relationships at this time. But on a wider stance, He is not asking the public to follow him. He wants each one to conduct honest experiments about one’s life. Through this book Gandhi gives the wake-up call to humankind. Talk less and walk more, is his cherished principle. Walk in the literal and spiritual sense (search for one’s identity) of the term. Conclusion Gandhi’s approach to life is to build, not break. He knew that prosperity in the real sense of the term will not happen unless the people are sound and industrious, and basic conditions are created for them to become this way. With the profound knowledge that he possessed about cultural traditions and the state of the economy, he was in a position to guide the destiny of the people. The country he was associated with had their economy and cultural traditions exploited and devastated with a calculated plan by the colonial rulers. He desired that every segment of the population of the country needs to be self-sufficient and should not look forward for foreign aid. He desired and worked for the Indian people to make them self-sufficient and lead the life maintaining the essential dignity. Truth (Satygraha) was the underlying message in his way of life. Non-violence to him meant strength without destruction, with no chance for weakness or fear for challenging injustice. In the dark coalmine of politics, he was the sparkling gem. Works Cited Bose, Anima . "A Gandhian Perspective on Peace." Journal of Peace Research 18.No.2 (1981): 159-164. Islamic World Peace Forum. Web. 29 May 2012. Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma).Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth. Trans. Mahadev H. Desai; Beacon Press, 1993.Print Holmes, Robert L., and Barry L. Gan. Nonviolence in theory and practice. 3rd ed. Long Grove, Ill.: Waveland Press, 2012. Print. Wolpert, Stanley. Gandhi’s Passion: The Life and Legacy of Mahatma. Oxford University Press, 2002 Read More