There is a big chance you have heard of Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi. Many people recognize Gandhi for his peaceful efforts in the Indian revolution. He fought for civil rights and freedom for Indian citizens from British rule. He was also, and still is, known as one of the greatest thinkers of his time, thus the nick-name Mahatma or, “great soul”. He was known for his peaceful civil disobedience and Ahisma, or nonviolence, including toward animals.
Gandhi was born in Porbandar India on October 02, 1869. He was assassinated on January 30th, 1948 in Delhi India (cite biography). He came from a Hindu family with a very religiously devout mother who would later influence Gandhi on his religious views and practices. Gandhi wished to live a normal life, despite being viewed as one of India’s greatest men.
The decision that will be analyzed is Gandhi’s decision to become a vegetarian. For Gandhi food was not something that took away hunger, he believed that it shaped the human consciousness (cite life positive article). Gandhi was a Hindu, a religion that practices vegetarianism, although he was not a vegetarian for his whole life. He ate meat as a young boy in belief that the power from the British came from their meat-eating diet (Cite BBC article here). He soon after returned to vegetarianism because he felt ashamed from deceiving his strict vegetarian family. At the age of thirteen Gandhi decided to become a strict vegetarian for his whole life. There is no specific date for this decision, but he does speak about his dietary decisions in his book written in 1949, Diet and Diet Reform.
Gandhi also had many other views on the human diet. As part of his belief in Ahimsa, he chose to be a vegetarian but Gandhi also had an interest in ...
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... and its correlation with food. He helped inspire medical professionals to reevaluate studies on diet.
Gandhi’s decision to become a vegetarian also brought awareness to his non-violent views. Gandhi preached about non-violence in all aspects of life, especially food. He believed that animals should be treated as moral beings and not as just an item. He also thought that a man becomes what he eats, and the grosser the food, the grosser the body (cite his book here).
Gandhi’s diet was filled with a variety vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains and goats milk. His diet included minimal sugars and whole grains. His diet is now the basis of the ideal diet pattern being promoted today. To me, there are more pros than cons of going vegetarian as meat has been linked to causing cancer and various other diseases, so I believe it is a good decision (cite wise geek article).
“The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality."( Schopenhauer). Vegetarianism and animal rights movement have been crossing each other since 70’s. The meeting point between two is veganism which means strict vegetarianism. Vegetarianism was firstly founded as being formed on ethical issues and then it became mostly based on health reasons. Even though vegetarianism has evolved drastically over time, some of its current forms have come back full circle to its early days, when vegetarianism was an ethical-philosophical choice, not a mere health choice.
...quiring independence for India. Ghandi’s actions and teachings influenced American, Martin Luther King Jr. in his efforts to alleviate the African-Americans of harm in their quest to achieve civil rights in the United States in the twentieth-century. Vegetarianism around the world is influenced by the ethic of ahimsa, in disapproval of animal cruelty. The victories achieved in these movements have greatly affected the world in the twenty-first century. African- Americans obtained civil rights, India has become a power nation free from English control, and vegetarianism has promoted the formation of animal rights groups, in large part because of the ideology behind the ethic of ahimsa.
Mohandas Gandhi was a religious man, however, his religious beliefs did not come from his childhood but from his studies that he began as a political activist in South Africa. Upon his return to India from England, he had had a rough start as a lawyer and accepted an offer to work on a case in South Africa. He ended up staying in South Africa for more than twenty years. In South Africa Gandhi became a leader of the Indian immigration population. Gandhi had to learn skills to overcome caste, class, and religious divisions to build a base for dramatic mass actions. In the process, Gandhi’s religious development influenced his politics. He believed that the search for truth was the goal of human life, and since “no one could ever be sure of having attained the ultimate truth, use of violence to enforce one’s own necessarily partial understanding of it was sinful.”
“...going vegetarian is the single best thing we can do for ourselves as well as for your families,” says Dr. Lina Van (Panchal 27). Choosing to go vegetarian promotes good health, a longer life, helps fight diseases, and can even help people lose weight (Nikki and David Goldbeck 4-7). Specifically, a vegetarian diet excludes meat, fish, shellfish, and poultry. A lacto-vegetarian also does not eat eggs, but can eat dairy products, while an ova-vegetarian can eat eggs, but not dairy products (Panchal 27). Hence a vegetarian diet may seem quite restrictive, but the lifestyle choice could save your life and lead to more adventures in eating (Nikki and David Goldbeck 4-7). A vegetarian diet in America dates back to the colonial times. Vegetarian recipes from this time period come from places such as New England, the South, the Pennsylvania Dutch, the Southwest, and more. However, back in the colonial time, meat was considered only a side dish to the main course of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains (Atlas 13-14). On another note, a vegetarian diet could save the environment, eradicate suffering for animals, and could terminate diseases and other health predicaments. Research has shown that people should change to a vegetarian diet, because it is beneficial to many aspects of life, and is a healthier and safer selection of food rather than a diet containing meat.
Most people have at least heard his name. Mohandas Gandhi is one of the most notable characters in our fairly recent history. Born and raised a Hindu, he was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in the British-ruled India. He led India to independence and inspired many movements for civil rights across the world. Gandhi also assumed the leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921; effectively becoming the leading figure in India’s struggle for independence. He is known for many accomplishments. Women’s rights, the ending of untouchability, and the decline poverty of poverty in India are just a few of his accomplishments. During his conquest he was imprisoned multiple times, undertook a number of hunger strikes, and dressed only in a loincloth and shawl-and devout Hindu faith. Mohandas Gandhi's most significant accomplishment however, was uniting the Hindus in India with the Muslims of Pakistan to break free of British rule peacefully.
Gandhi was peacefully assembling and advocated for the people of India to help gain their independence from Great Britain. You may wonder, what was the outcome of his nonviolent approach? I’ll tell you that his actions are what gained equality amongst people in India and respect for all of their social classes, as well gaining India independence from Great Britain. All just from his non-violent approach! Not surprisingly, Gandhi’s practices were the great inspiration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King saw the importance of marches and non-violent
“Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” stated Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, 460-377 BC (Silverstone 15). Every American should live by this quote, but things have drastically changed since Hippocrates voiced that divine statement . Nowadays peoples personification of health has nothing to do with what we consume on an everyday basis. Our generation, most certainly will drive straight to McDonalds’s for a Big Mac without hesitation of the harm it is doing to your body. Education of health is essential; people need to learn what they are eating and how it will affect them in the long run. Due to mega rich corporations and institutions, they are keeping all of us in this denial because of pouring millions of dollars into efforts to keep us from knowing what is truly going on (Silverstone 16). Whether it’s to help reduce your risk of diseases, or purely to attain better health, leaving farmed animals entirely out of your diet is an effortless decision with life-long benefits. Plant-based diets will strengthen your immune system, beautify your skin, increase your energy, and reduce risk of various diseases (Silverstone 1). Being vegetarian is a step in the right direction by protecting your health, animals, and the environment.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a person who had a cause to act, acted instead of being acted upon, and not only influenced India and South Africa, but the entire world. “ French writer Romain Rolland (1866—1944) said Gandhi was as stubborn as a mule, but a “sacred mule”(qtd. in Cook). Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an extremely confident, peace loving man which is proved by the quote. Gandhi is a very important and amazingly influential person in the society we live in today. Without Gandhi’s influential ideas the world would have faced many terrible wars resulting massive destruction and would have affected many aspects of our current lives. Problems like the British rule and the caste system caused Gandhi to act. Great leaders and books influenced Gandhi’s belief of life. Gandhi accomplished many important things in his life to solve the problems faced by many people in South Africa, but most of all in India. Many people do not realize how much impact Gandhi’s accomplishments and beliefs have on the world. Indian independence was Gandhi’s most important accomplishment and the highlight of his illustrious life. Gandhi’s beliefs and vision influence the world today most notably through the civil rights movements of Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States and Nelson Mandela in South Africa, but his ideas are present throughout the globe. Through these great leaders who adopted Gandhi’s technique, we see the power of strong words and nonviolent action.
Gandhi has influenced many around the world with his non-violent protests and motivated changes in civil rights for countless others. Truth and nonviolence were Gandhi's key ideas. He lived simply but changed so much and continues to influence plenty of people today.
Gandhi lived his life according to certain simple principles and never diverted. He showed by his simple life, his courage to forgive and non-violence that any great dictatorship or simple hurdle can be accomplished and by anyone even as simple as him. The only thing is to be persistent in have good intentions and any person can change the world. Gandhi serves as the motivation and example for the rest of the world and any revolutions going on.
A disagreement between Hindus and Muslims had risen. The Muslims feared losing all political power in an independence India since the majority of Indians were Hindu. In August 1947 the British decided to leave India with what seemed to become a violent civil war. Violence between the two groups continued, Muslims marched to Pakistan and Hindus who were in Pakistan packed up and walked to India. Many died along the way from dehydration, illness and exposure. They attacked each other with vengeance. On January 13, 1948, Gandhi went on a fast to stop the violence. Stating that he would eat again once he saw the violence stop. Knowing that Gandhi could not withstand a long fast at his age, both sides came together to create peace.
Maintaining a well-balanced vegetarian diet is healthy and can be beneficial by reducing the risk of health diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Vegetarians are individuals who choose to abstain from eating foods derived from animals, such as meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. This type of a diet is practiced for a variety of reasons, whether out of respect for animals and the environment, for the potentially healthier lifestyle, or simply out of distaste for or allergy to meat products. Practicing vegetarianism is no more difficult or complicated than following a regular meat-inclusive diet; eating a variety of soy, nut, or wheat based products can substitute for certain meat dishes and dairy products and provide the needed nutrients that those normally provides. Vegetarianism is a healthy choice; following a meat-restricting diet can lower cholesterol and fat intake, thus reducing the chances of developing heart diseases and obesity.
Vegetarianism is a custom practiced in six out of the seven continents and has become more popular over the years. Vegetarianism can be defined as the exclusion of animal products such as meat and fish from one’s diet. Dairy products and eggs are often times excluded as well. Although there are many reasons one may decide to become a Vegetarian or follow such a code of ethics, the most common include: moral, religious or health reasons.
In conclusion, vegetarianism benefits many part of our life. A healthier body, a better environment, and more fair treatment of animals are all requites of becoming vegetarians. It is hard to change eating habits, but it is not impossible. There are many kinds of food that vegetarians can choose today. The taste of the non-meat food is not all bad and some of them maybe much better than imagination. It is not wise to deny being a vegetarian before trying to be. With more and more people adopting the vegetarian diet, the world will be a better place in the future: animals will be treated better; global warming will be alleviated; fewer people will be starving, and ultimately, people will be healthier and be living longer. Therefore, people should start action before it is too late.
Mahatma Gandhi has had a lasting effect on our world today. His philosophy and ideals have been adopted by many prominent figures in society. A powerful leader, he helped two countries in their struggle for basic rights. Gandhi is an amazing example of the things that can be achieved without violence. He proved that satyagraha is a powerful path to victory. Since his time many leaders have been inspired by his example and anyone who tries to change the world for the better using peaceful means owes something to Gandhi.