I am going to try to answer an interesting question as to who is the greatest man in the world today. In seeking an answer to this inquiry, I predict that people would first instinctively go back to the days of the great wars in history, and go over the names of the men who held positions of vast responsibility and power in that astonishing conflicts, people who succeed in front of their task and, thus, were considered heroes.
However, I turn away from the storm of wars, and from the men who rode that storm to power and place; and I look further for that man who impresses me as the greatest man who lived in the world. A man, who people can surely call the greatest, should be a universal man — a man who combines in perfect balance the supreme qualities of an idealist and a realist, a dreamer and a doer.
The man who satisfies those qualities, I believe is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Indian leader, of the great revolutionary movement against British rule in India. He is better known as Mahatma, called by his own countrymen first, meaning “the Saint”.
Gandhi was born on second October, 1869 in India, of a rich, clever and cultivated family. He was reared as the sons of such families are always reared, possessed of everything that money could buy (Gandhi: A Biography). On September 29, 1888 he went to England to study law at University College London. He took his degree in regular course, returned to India, but failed to become a successful lawyer in Bombay and Rajkot.
At the same time, he already found that religion was coming to have a dominant place within his life. Even before his journey to England, he had taken the vow to abstain from wine, flesh, and sexual intercourse, and on his return to India, his asceticism in...
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...crowds of people were gathering in order to hear his words. He seems to be was a person whom the Indians saw in him, perfect and universal man. He had a simple, altruistically and uncorrupted personality. In his political duties he was a firm realist, consistently working towards a goal of liberation; while on the other hand, he was an idealist, living ever in the pure happiness of the spirit.
Works Cited
"Gandhi: A Biography." Kamat's Potpourri. 4 Jan. 2011. Navajivan Trust. 13 Feb. 2011. .
Holmes, John Haynes. "Mahatma Gandhi: an American Portrait." Harvard Square Library. 2006. Harvard University. 12 Feb. 2011. .
Moncur, Michael. "Mahatma Ghandi Quotations." The Quotations Page. 1994. 12 Feb. 2011. .
Today, I will tell you about a great man in American history. He was an over-achiever and
Mohandas or “Mahatma” Gandhi was born on October 2nd of 1869 in Gujarat, India. He was very determined to do whatever he could to make when he lived a better place even if it were going to cost him his life. In fact, Gandhi had studied in London to be a lawyer and succeeded. Gandhi was a very civilized man in many ways. He was also sure not to let anyone get in the way of what he believed even after all the times he was put down for doing what he thought was the right thing. On January 30th of 1948, New Delhi, India he was assassinated by Nathuram Vinayak Godse who happened to be a nationalist activist also a Hindu from India. When he encountered Gandhi he shot him point-blank in the chest three times.
It was here that he became more maturely and outwardly aware of the social injustices brought upon a people group as a result of a harsh political system with no rights for its Indian people. It was not just the mere understanding and compassion for others that was born. It was also his direct experience with the dehumanizing treatment at the hands of the European authorities. He took this experience back with him to India, and whether it was with intent or not, he began to build upon his experience and gain a reputation for “saintliness” (Lal, 2012, p. 2) with those he came in contact with. Again, it was not only his physical ability to exude peace and love to people but his educational experience afforded him the ability to write detailed and adequate propositions to facilitate change among his nation. Even more notable is his response to the resistance of authorities, whereby he remained a peaceful opposition in spite of imprisonment. Ultimately, Gandhi’s driving force was to see India a nation independent and at peace. Gandhi, by the late stages of his movement had gained such a following and support that he boldly challenged those that felt and believed in his mission be just as committed as he was to lay down their lives (in the turn your other cheek type of action) in order to see India freed (Lal,
Greatness is not something that is achieved overnight. Those who are great and were great will not and have not been forgotten. However, one particular man in history is arguably one of the greatest military leaders in history who had ever lived. Hell, he even has the word “great” in his name when people refer to him. That man would be no other than Alexander the Great. The determined leader that strikes fear and tremble into those who oppose him. Ruthless in nature yet still humbly stands with his men when times are tough. He is the unsung hero and the king of Macedon, conquerors of the almighty Persian empire. Alexander the Great is one of the greatest military leaders of all time demonstrated by the loyalty and respect shown forth by his
Thomas Carleyle, an influential Scottish historian, is given credit for the dictum: “the history of the world is but the biography of great men”. We can easily relate to Carleyle’s view since specific examples of men who seem to have changed the course of history come readily to mind de Gaulle, Hitler, Jesus Christ, Lincoln, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Lenin, and Martin Luther King. Winston Churchill, a man who for many personifies the great man, is the main subject of a recent book, the great man. On a less grand scale, there have been great man leaders in business and industry Rockefeller, Carnegie, Ford, Mellon, Gould, Sloan and Harriman.
In the history of the world, there have been many great figures that have left a lasting legacy. These people could be inventors, innovators, leaders, or saviors. Some famous or infamous people that every person should be aware of are people like the Founding Fathers, Adolf Hitler, Alexander Graham Bell, Harriet Tubman, or Alexander the Great. Adolf Hitler left behind the horrifying event, the Holocaust. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Harriet Tubman saved and freed many slaves. Alexander the Great was arguably the greatest conqueror. However, there is another conqueror that many say is better. He is known as a person who knew nothing other than war and bloodshed. This man is Genghis Khan. Conquering almost all of Asia, Genghis Khan was the most feared man in the ancient world. As the leader of the Mongolian army, he was a fearsome yet kind leader. People on his side loved and respected him. The people who were not, feared him. Genghis Khan’s will to revenge the ones he cherishes, ability to lead the people, and effect on Asia has led to his rise to power and the lasting legend behind his name.
Leathem, Rebecca. "MAHATMA GANDHI." Business Asia 15 Feb. 1999: 8. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism and the prophet of nonviolence in the 20th century, was born, the youngest child of his father's fourth wife, on Oct. 2, 1869, at Porbandar, the capital of a small principality in Gujarat in western India under British suzerainty. His father, Karamchand Gandhi, who was the dewan (chief minister) of Porbandar, did not have much in the way of a formal education but was an able administrator who knew how to steer his way between the capricious princes, their long-suffering subjects, and the headstrong British political officers in power.
All throughout history, there have been several events in which people were forced to take a stand for something they believed in. There have been wars, civil rights movements, protests, and certainly fights for independence. As a result, groups of people or individuals begin to arise and essentially become leaders of a movement in the direction of better opportunities. One of these leaders, Mohandas Gandhi or sometimes referred to as Mahatma Gandhi, was an anti war activist and civil rights leader. Today, he remains one of the most influential leaders in history. He took a stand that was both peaceful and effective and essentially earned India its independence.
In order to better understand the miracle of Gandhi, one must learn about the man and how he became the great figure the world loves and reveres. Monhandas Gandhi was born on October 2nd, 1869. He grew up in a family of six children. He was brought up as a Hindu and his father was the chief minister of his hometown of Rajkat.1 And he was raised in the tradition of nonviolence, "vegetarianism, lots of spiritual fasting, and a great tolerance of other cultures."2 He was not an excellent student in school but he did attend college in England. While in college, Gandhi studied law and the Latin language. The study of Latin had helped him with speaking English. He read many books that were not required of him to read, to further his understanding of the law. He read the Roman Law in Latin, ...
The still, small voice of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has defied time and has spoken through the ages, whispering into the ears of Martin Luther King, Jr., Lech Walesa, Cesar Chavez, and Nelson Mandela, urging them to peacefully revolt against what was unethical and to work for what the human spirit held to be true and right. Gandhi is the "Most Important Peace Hero of the 20th Century" because he taught the world that freedom from the oppressor could be obtained through nonviolent means.
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.
married at the age of 13. When he was 18, he went to London to study law. He was admitted to the bar in 1891 and for a while he was attorney in Bombay. From 1893 to 1914 he worked for an Indian firm in South Africa. During these years Gandhi's humiliating experiences of open, official racial discrimination and aphartheid propelled him into agitation on behalf of the Indian community of South Africa. He started protest campaigns and organized demonstrations, but never used violence. His philosophy was to never fight back against the atrocities, but still never retreat. This, he said, would decrease the hate against him and his fellow believers, and increase the respect felt towards him. Gandhi's one aim was that everybody - hindues, muslims, sikhs, jews, christians, black and white - could live together in peace and harmony. Under the banner We are citizens of the empire he gathered Indians from all over South Africa to a march for freedom. He gradually developed his techniques and tenets of nonviolent resistance, and when he returned to India in January 1915, he was celebrated as a national hero. He was soon asked to participate in and organize India's fight for freedom, as he fought aphatheid in South Africa. Then he started his journey to discover the real India, the life in the 700.000 small villages and the countryside with all the hardworking men and women. These were the ones he was going to represent in his fight for justice. As time passed, more and more people got to know about Gandhi and his controversial views, and Gandhi's popularity grew incredibly fast, something the English Vice-king and government didn't approve of at all.
“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.