Mahatma Gandhi & his Influences
The Indian pacifist Gandhi once said “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind,”(Gandhi). Mohandas Karamchand “Mahatma” Gandhi believed fighting only makes a situation worse and abhorred committing violence in almost all forms. As a young man of privilege, Gandhi was given an excellent education, studying Indian law at the University College London and put this education to effective use back home. In protests against the tyrannical British-rule in India, the combinations of varying people and religions were instrumental, all the while garnering significant international support for the cause. Mahatma Gandhi’s policy of nonviolent, civil disobedience was highly influenced by a variety
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Gandhi was a devout Hindu throughout his life. Like most Indians, Gandhi was raised in a traditional, conservative Hindu family. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be cherished and admired (Leathem 8). As a young man, Gandhi was also introduced to the idea of nonviolence. Gandhi likely took the Hindu religious principle of Ahimsa very seriously and applied it to everything in life. However, while a pious Hindu, Gandhi did not let own faith restrict his curiosity in others. Gandhi learned about Christianity, Islam and Judaism. “In London, Gandhi changed his tropical cottons for a dark suit and bowler hat and studied hard for five years...He also attended meetings of the Theosophical Society which discussed religions and philosophies,” (Leathem 8). The Theosophical Society was a society founded in 1875, advocating a worldwide diverse view on values based largely on Brahmanical and Buddhist teachings, as well as many other faiths. Gandhi attended meetings while becoming a lawyer in England and was able to gather information on other philosophies and religions. It was from the lessons learned at these meetings, that Gandhi drew the conclusion that peace, not violence, was the way to go in life. The ideas taken from the Theosophical Society reinforced and collaborated with the notions of Ahimsa and Satya. Overall, Mohandas Gandhi was a student of all faiths and used the core …show more content…
The revolutionary Indian applied the idea of not resorting to violence and just simply turning the other cheek and going about one’s business, as if unjust laws did not exist, exactly as Thoreau did. Both did not desire to hurt the government, but to send a message that what the authorities were doing was wrong. As an Indian revolutionary, the man believed that the best way to oppose tyranny was through non-violent, non-cooperation rather than armed resistance. Gandhi abhorred violence to such a level, that, even when threatened with death, the loyal pacifist would not harm enemies. Stooping to the British government’s level would have caused Gandhi and followers to lose credibility, appear to be nothing more than terrorists and criminals and become just as bad as the government that was oppressing the Indian people. Specifically, Gandhi received a powerful example from Thoreau’s popular essay “Civil Disobedience” and tried to apply Thoreau’s ideas to the situation in India. The Indian leader, just like Thoreau, used the methods of passive protest and not cooperating, to fight unjust laws. In Thoreau’s case, fighting back was withholding taxes and in Gandhi’s, the way to fight back was to not cooperate with British authorities on any level,
India gained independence from British rule in 1947. The Gandhian strategy is mainly comprised with: Satyagraha, Truth, Nonviolence, non-cooperation and peace and love. Satyagraha, a holistic approach toward life based on the ideals of truth and moral courage. Truth, the most powerful weapon. Gandhi believed "the truth is far more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction. Non-violence, was seen by Gandhi as "everlasting". Gandhi was influenced Jainism and Buddhism, both preached non-violence. Non-cooperation, aimed to resist British rule in India. Non-cooperation included the boycott of councils, courts and schools set up by British and of all foreign cloth. Peace and love, Gandhi stated " peace between countries must rest on the solid foundation of love between
“ First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” (Mahatma Gandhi). Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar. Throughout his life Gandhi helped those in need. He was taught that everyone and everything is holy. He married at the custom age of 19 and went to London to study law. The thing that helped Gandhi promote nonviolence is that he worked his entire life saying that violence didn’t change the way people acted. He lived his life saying that an eye for an eye only made the whole world blind. Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he had something to prove and everyone else in the world agreed with him.
Gandhi once said “An eye for an eye and the whole world is blind.” This is true in most circumstances but there are exceptions. By comparing acts of nonviolent civil disobedience with acts of violent civil disobedience it is apparent that force or violence is only necessary to combat violence but never if it effects the lives of the innocent. A recurrent theme in each of these examples is that there is a genuine desire to achieve equality and liberty. However, one cannot take away the liberties of others in order to gain their own. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that political change would come faster through nonviolent methods and one can not argue his results as many of the Jim Crow laws were repealed. Similarly, through nonviolent resistance Gandhi was able to eventually free India from the rule of Britain. It is true that sometimes the only way to fight violence is through violence, but as is apparent, much can be said of peaceful demonstrations in order to enact change. Thus, it is the responsibility of we as individuals to understand that nonviolence is often a more viable means to an end than violence.
From the onset of man fighting for freedom or his beliefs, the question has always been whether one person can make a difference using words rather than wars. Philosophically, the concept of civil disobedience would appear to be an ineffective weapon against political injustice; history however has proven it to repeatedly be one of the most powerful weapons of the common man. Martin Luther King Jr. looked at the way African Americans were treated in the United States and saw an inequality. By refusing to pay his taxes and subsequently being imprisoned for a night, Henry David Thoreau demonstrated his intolerance for the American government. Under British rule, India remained oppressed until Mohandas Gandhi, with his doctrine of non-violence lead the country to freedom.
Diener, Sam. "A Pacifist Critique of Gandhi." 1 September 2006. PeaceWork Magazine. 10 March 2014 .
After the British empire separated itself from India, inner-country religious problems began to arise. The Muslims and Hindus of the liberated India released their pent up anger on each other and combusted into civil war right after they won the peaceful war against Great Britain. This war distressed Gandhi, who has insight into the unity of mankind, and encouraged him to go on a hunger strike until the brutality ceased. While on his near-death bed, he is approached by a Hindu who “killed a child” because the Muslims “killed [his] son,” and in response, Gandhi said that the way out of his “Hell is to “Find a [Muslim] child, a child whose mother and father have been killed and raise him as your own,” therefore the man would be able to see the equality in all religions. Throughout his entire life, Gandhi, though a Hindu, never prosecuted anyone for their religion and was able to see through everyone’s eyes as fellow brother’s and sisters, not enemies. This ability to empathize and recognize the general unity of the human population allowed Gandhi insight into the human
Hooker, Richard. "Siddhartha Gautama." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 1996. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .
Gerber Hansuli John, “The Road to Nonviolence”. www.amaricamagazine.org October 18, 2010. Web December 26, 2010.
The. Mehta, Ved. Mahatma Gandhi and His Apostles. New York: Viking, 1977. Print.
Gandhi took the religious principle of ahimsa and turned it into non-violent campaigns in South Africa and India. He used it to fight not only colonial rule of the British and war but social wrongs such as racial discrimination. Throughout Mohandas K. Gandhi Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi is faced numerous times with decision of participating in war on behalf of the British Empire and the constant struggle with discrimination.
Kumar, Ravindra. Mahatma Gandhi at the Close of Twentieth Century. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2004. Print.
Gandhi is motivated by religious means; he believes that everyone is equal in God’s eyes. He gets involved in several movements for equality, and he stresses non-violence very strongly. The Indians are very mad because British rule continues to limit their rights. They are supposed to all get fingerprinted, and their marriage laws are invalid. Gandhi’s followers vow to fight their oppressors to the death, but he discourages them from violence.
“The strongest physical force bends before moral force when used in the defense of truth.” - Mahatma Gandhi (Bondurant). Mahatma Gandhi was the main leader in helping India become independent through the principles of non violence, self-rule, and the unity of Hindus and Muslims. His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but he was given the name Mahatma later on in his life. He wanted to see an united India without the rule of the British Empire. He accomplished this with passive resistance or resistance by non violence because he wanted to show that violence is not always the best answer.
Mahatma Gandhi's Influence and Ideas Mahatma Gandhi was a man of faith and great conviction. He was born into an average Hindu family in India. Like most teenagers he had a rebellious stage when he smoked, spent time with girls and ate meat (forbidden to strict Hindus). The young Gandhi changed as a person while earning a living as a lawyer in South Africa. He came in contact with the apartheid and the future Mahatma began to emerge, one who championed the truth through non-violent resistance.
Mahatma Gandhi, born on October 2nd 1869, lived in a relatively small community in Porbandar, India. ("GANDHI.”) His family were a lot like Gandhi. His father, Karamchand Gandhi, served as a chief minister in Porbandar and other states in western India. His mother, Putlibai, was a deeply religious woman who fasted regularly. Religion