Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth. …. once Albert Einstein expressed his admiration for Mahathma Gandhiji like this .
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, fondly called as Bapu, is the name synonymous with non-violence. He is the man who brought the British empire to its knees and whose sacrifices earned him the title of ‘Father of Nation’. He is not just an individual but an entire movement in itself. His journey from a lawyer in South Africa to the Bapu of India is truly inspiring. He has not only inspired Indians but also people around the globe.
Gandhi resisted evil with as much vigor and power as the violent resister, but he resisted with love instead of hate. True pacifism is not unrealistic submission to evil power.
Mahatma Gandhi was a great human being with a deep
understanding of human nature. He made every effort to encourage the full
development of the positive aspects of the human potential and to reduce or
restrain the negative. Ahimsa or nonviolence is the powerful idea that Mahatma
Gandhi made familiar throughout the world. But nonviolence does not mean the
mere absence of violence. It is something more positive, more meaningful than
that, for it depends wholly on the power of truth.
Gandhi’s views were the most
enlightened of all the political men in our time. We should strive to do things
in his spirit: not to use violence in fighting for our cause, but by
non-participation in anything you believe is evil.
Mahathma Gandhi inspired Dr King (Martin Luther King Jr), so if it hadn’t been for the non-violent movement in India, you might not have seen the same non-violent movement for civil rights here in the United States
Mahathma Gandhi proved that a doctrine
of non-violence was possible. Mahatma Gandhi represents a figure of unique
integrity, consistency and humanity. The point of departure of his life
philosophy and the basis of his theory and activity in practice are freedom and
welfare of any human being and prosperity of peoples and nations of the whole
mankind. Non-violence is the elementary and indispensable condition for the
materialization of these noble goals. These principles and values represented a
permanent source of inspiration in Gandhi’s guidance in his imaginative
undertakings both in the struggle for freedom and independent development of
India and the promotion of her role in the international community. As a matter
of fact, Gandhi’s firm belief in the creativeness and openness of the people of
India and his own active engagement for a peaceful and friendly cooperation
among nations on equal footing, without any interference or imposition were
inexhaustible sources of his personal wisdom and high credibility both as the
father of modern India, as well as one of the major moral, spiritual and
political international authorities of our times.
Today, largely due to the work of Mahatma Gandhi, India has its political independence and the work of building that greater freedom which he set in train in continuing by non-violent workers all around India. But Gandhiji himself had altered his successors that they would face a more daunting journey on the road to the betterment of the people of India, than he himself had done. His 50 years struggle for national independence reached a culmination in August 1947, but he could see that national independence of India was really only the first step towards ultimate goal-equality of opportunity for all through non-violent action. That is the reason why Gandhi represents today not only the collective conscience of India, but also the collective conscience of all humanity.
It is very pertinent to state here that Mahatma Gandhi remains a relevant thinker today because of his theory and practice of non-violence, but also because of the way he defended all his life political tolerance and religious pluralism. Nothing about his defence is doctrinaire or a prior. Everything he claims about the importance of individual autonomy and political freedom, for human life, for modern living, is tested by experience. Everybody knows that Gandhi’s ideas evolved through experience from a highly simplistic view to more mature, sophisticated and relevant propositions. More than two hundred years ago, in 1784, I. Kant (Immanuel Kant), the famous German philosopher, responded to the question posed by a Berlin newspaper: “What is Enlightenment?” by equating Enlightenment with attainment of maturity through the use of reason. Gandhi agrees with Kant that “maturity” consists in man’s taking over responsibility for using his critical rationality and that critical rationality consists in the unflinching examination of our most cherished and confronting assumptions.
Gandhi was able to articulate a fundamental change-taking place in Indian but also modern understanding which still gives his philosophy contemporary relevance. One thing is certain about Gandhi’s thought it is not only modern, but also mature. Gandhi’s heroic break with religious fanatism, far from opening up the possibility for a critical structure, which would provide universal norms for human action. Nevertheless, Gandhi was not a system builder. He was essentially a pathfinder towards social and individual goals
Gandhi’s philosophy is neither utopian, nor eschatological. It is simply a critical view, which tells us what we need to do in order to go forward in the path of metaphysical humanism. Gandhi tells us to proceed with clear conceptual thinking and scepticism of the facts. According to him, we must never fail to seek knowledge and enlightenment, never give up the virtues of common sense, civility, justice and non-violence. A sense of balance and proportion of what fits when and where is crucial to the theory he enjoins us to practice. Nevertheless, for Gandhi pure rationalism was neither scientific, nor human. As he once said: “rationalists are admirable being, but rationalism can be a hideous monster when it claims omnipotence for itself”. More importantly, Gandhi’s attachment to religion is limited. Religion for Gandhi is identified with ethics rather than theology. Therefore, most of Gandhi’s major concepts and methods of struggle are not absolutist concepts. It would be totally unfair to judge and analyse Gandhi through some absolutist concepts and ideas. In this connection the most significant concept that is relevant to revalidating Gandhi is that which went by the name of “swaraj”. And “autonomy” is not merely an economic concept, but it is also a political concept. The new spirit of “autonomy” not only in form, but also in essence, is very much discussed in the west as a pattern to enforce the civil society vis-à-vis the state. I do not think I am very far from the truth of Gandhi’s philosophy, by saying that his conception of politics is based on the idea of “active citizenship”, that is on the value and importance of civic engagement and collective deliberation. Gandhi was in fact a stern defender of the role of law, and advocate of fundamental human rights, a critic of all forms of political action based on violence and intolerance and a fervent of limited government. Gandhi’s political thought cannot, in this sense, be identified either with the liberal tradition, or with the anarchist tradition or with the claims advanced by a number of communitarian philosophers today.
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A great leader, speaker of inspiration and truth, peaceful and brilliant example of high-thinking being… these are just some of the things that come to our mind when we refer to Mahatma Gandhi.
His dream was to gain independence for India as well as peace and freedom for
all. The courage and determination that Gandhi showed the world during the
peaceful pursuit of his dreams made him an inspiration to the world.
Mahathma Ganhi showed the following practical guiding principles us Here are the lessons to improve ourselves from Mahatma Gandhi
YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
If you change yourself, you will change your world. If you change how you think, then you will change how you feel and what actions you should take. And so the world around you will change. The change within you allows you to take action in ways you wouldn’t have – or maybe even have thought about – while you are stuck in your old thought patterns. “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” -Mahatma Gandhi
YOU ARE MASTER OF CONTROL
As you learn to realize that no one other than yourself can actually control how you feel, you can start to develop this thinking into your daily life and turn it into your habit. Learn to control yourself- internally and externally. Doing this makes life a whole lot easier and more pleasurable as no outside factors can ruin your day. “Nobody can hurt me without my permission.” Mahatma Gandhi
STRONG ONLY FORGIVES
Fighting evil with evil will not help anyone. If you do not forgive, then you are letting the past and another person control how you feel. By forgiving, you release yourself from those ill bonds. “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Mahatma Gandhi
ONLY ACTION….
Without taking action, very little can be done. To get where you want to go and fully understand yourself and your world, you need or must practice. You have to take action and translate your knowledge into results and understanding; otherwise, almost nothing will be achieved. “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” Mahatma Gandhi
LIVE IN PRESENT MOMENT
When you are in the present moment, you should not worry about the next moment that you cannot control anyway or the previous that cannot be reversed. By doing so, it becomes easier to take action, keep your focus on this moment, and perform better. “I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.” -Mahatma Gandhi
YOU WILL WIN
One reason Gandhi was so successful with his method of nonviolence was because he and his followers were so persistent. They just would not give up. One of the reasons people could not get what they want is simply because they give up too soon. Success or victory seldom comes as quickly as you would like it to because it takes time and patience. “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” -Mahatma Gandhi
EVER LEARING
We cannot stop learning even though we have finished our formal education because education exists throughout our entire life. Thus, strive to make yourself better than you were yesterday through learning, reading articles, observing others, etc. The decision to improve your life is a healthy path to walk on. Be a lifelong learner
THAT’S WHY LOOK AT THEM ……FOR INSPIRATION MY FRIENDS
