Gandhi, one of the most influential individuals of all time, he used civil disobedience as a tool for social reform. Much of the struggles and suffering that Gandhi purposely produced at his own desire, were to initiate a social change to create harmony, to achieve equality and to deter discrimination. He would recommend and actively demonstrate civil disobedience as a moral method to achieve these goals, and would welcome and embrace suffering in the process. Gandhi exhibited a vow of fearlessness. He strived to eliminate discrimination and inequity in South Africa and India and welcomed personal suffering to do so. According to Gandhi civil disobedience would not be effective without the moral power of, and commitment to, Satyagraha. In my essay I will be discussing the beliefs and principles that Gandhi lived by.
Gandhi, was also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born in Porbandar, in the modern state of Gujarat, on October 2, 1869, into a Hindu family. His parents belonged to the Vaisya caste of Hindu's. Gandhi was a shy and serious boy and grew up in an atmosphere of religious tolerance and acceptance of teachings of various Hindu sects. Gandhi was married at 13 years old, he married a girl named Kasturibhai. The wedding was arranged according to custom by his parents. The Gandhi's had four children. At the age of 19, Gandhi traveled to England to study law. During that time he began to develop his philosophy of life. He also studied the great Indian religious classic the Bhagavad-Gita and also turned to the New Testament of the Bible and to the teachings of Buddha. After finishing school, Gandhi returned to India to practice law but was unsuccessful.
In 1893, Gandhi went to South Africa to do some legal work. South Africa was then under British rule. Almost immediately, he was abused because he was an Indian who claimed his rights as a British subject. He saw that all Indians suffered from discrimination. His law assignment was for one year, but he stayed on in South Africa for 21 years to work for Indian rights. Gandhi fully developed his philosophy of life in South Africa. He was greatly influenced by writings of Leo Tolstoy's and John Ruskin but his greatest influence on him was Bhagavad-Gita, which became an unfailing source of inspiration. While living in England he started to grasp the real meaning of the Bhagavad-Gita; a sacred Hindu text. It was then that he began to understand the book and let it guide him in all he would do for the rest of his life. The Bhagavad-Gita is what guided him to simplify his life and give up worldly possessions. The Bhagavad-Gita is a way to achieve Moksha, meaning to set your soul free. One of the possessions Gandhi gave up was sex; he realized that sex was much more than just physical; it was acting out energy and love. He did not want so much of his energy locked in his sexual drive, so he simply made a choice that he would not let his sexual drive control him anymore. Gandhi believed that all life was a part of one ultimate spiritual reality. The supreme goal was the realization that one's true self was identical with ultimate reality. He believed that all religions contained some element of truth and this accounted for his own religious tolerance. Gandhi experimented with communal living at the Phoenix farm and the Tolstoy's farm in South Africa, and later at the Sabramati ashram, in India. He practiced voluntary simplicity, a way of life designed to offer an alternative to the violent atmosphere of western civilization. Gandhi was most famous for practicing non-violence. He named this Satyagraha. This part of Gandhi’s philosophy was a way of living during a time of oppression, exploitation, and discrimination. It was a tactic that was used to appeal to people morally, rather than intimidate them violently. Two of the methods are applied when fighting a non-violence campaign; Non-violence and fasting. The Satyagraha’s engage in voluntary self suffering and will accept any form of violence without retaliation. This method is only used after all other peaceful means have proven ineffective. The understanding of this is that the opponent has good in his heart and will see the injustice and compromise. Gandhi believed that this method created no enemies or lasting bitterness only winners. Fighting against injustice required one to love fellow beings and demanded non-violence. Gandhi believed it was necessary to first feel for the oppressed then fight for justice, thus making Satyagraha a "truth" and "justice" seeking force. Gandhi knew that fear and hatred would only fuel more of the same, so he fought his wars with nothing more than courage and peace, staying true to himself. This showed that he and his followers were more truthful than any army. The principles and rules for Satyagraha were: Nonviolence, Truth, Non-stealing, Chastity, Non-possession, Body labor, Control of the palate, Fearlessness, Equal respect for all religions, Swadeshi (self reliance), and Freedom from untouchability(classism).
The four essential principles of Gandhi’s philosophy were: Truth, Ahimsa (total non violence), Trusteeship, and Constructive Action. Gandhi also professed his seven deadly sins. He said that seven things would destroy a person. Each of these is seen as a social and political condition. They are: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice and politics without principle. The basics of his seven sins is that if each person took the time to fix something about their lives that impacts everyone else around them, then society would be so much better because everyone would be looking out for everyone around them. His ideals were to better society in general.
Mahatma Gandhi played an important role in the evolution of this world. Gandhi’s passive resistance strategy became well known throughout the world and was adopted by others in the fight for freedom. Nelson Mandela was another influential person that was influenced by Gandhi. He used non-violence to oppose the white’s suppression of Africans. Mandela used these methods to gain the support of the South African Indians and also because of its proven success in India. He was an influential figure in our society. Gandhi taught many people about equal rights, honor, and peace and tranquility. Although at times his actions were deemed improbable and insane, they were effective.