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Bigger Person

In: English and Literature

Submitted By neald93
Words 1060
Pages 5
Bigger Person Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win,” demonstrates how people are quick to judge and how being the bigger person pays off. Being the bigger person results in a quicker solution than arguing about the topic. Being the bigger person additionally enables the person to feel good about themselves. They can view themselves as more mature and strong-minded. Gandhi is teaching his audience how to win a fight against ignorant people through this quote. “First they ignore you,” is referring to the beginning of the argument when people judge you, and do not take you seriously. Therefore, they ignore you. Ignoring the person who is talking does not do anything, but make the person being ignored feel disrespected. An example of this in life would be a professor. If students are talking while the professor is speaking it is perceived as very disrespectful. Because the students are talking, they are ignoring the opportunity to learn from the professor. Racism could be another real-life example of this idea. For example, if in a group of people there is only one person of a different race, this person may not be heard for what he or she has to offer. That is not justified because all people should be treated equally. Another example of discrimination could be if a person is judged as not as intelligent as the people surrounding them. Maybe that person is just quiet and afraid to speak. The group could judge them as unintelligent solely because they have never heard this person speak, but honestly he or she could be very intelligent. Everybody in a group setting has to hear each other out regardless of the circumstances different people may face. That is the message Gandhi is trying to get across in the first sentence of his famous quote. “Then they laugh at you,” is what comes after a person has been ignored. After being ignored the person doing the ignoring often realizes that it is making that person mad. This causes laughter because he or she sees that it is aggravating the other person and making them mad. Being laughed at is not pleasant no matter what the circumstance. The professor example could also be applied to this case. If a student makes an indirect comment such as, “why do we have to listen to you?”, it would be very disrespectful, but it also fits into the category of the students “laughing” at the professor, in a sense. Bullying could also be used to describe this part of the quote. There is always some type of laughter involved in this kind of bullying. The person doing the bullying feels dominance, and it gives them power. This may cause that person happiness and laughter, because he or she is getting what they desire. Regardless of how mad you are, how mad someone makes you, or even how much you hate a person, you should never laugh at them, in my opinion. Hatred should be forgotten, and people should learn to be mature and let go of unimportant things instead of bullying others. That is the significance of the second part of Gandhi’s quote. “Then they fight you,” happens after you are ignored and laughed at. The people get jealous and want to ruin your efforts at level-headedness and maturity. They might not be physically fighting you, but it is an indirect, nonphysical fight. Using the same professor example, this situation occurs when the professor either writes you up or reports you to some higher authority. First the professor got ignored and then laughed at, so the professor’s retaliation appears in this form. Another example of this can be relating to the bully. Maybe the kid being bullied is exhausted from being oppressed, which may cause him or her to physically fight back. Perhaps the two meet a few years later, and the person who was bullied could be the bigger person and say hey hello. However, the bully might still have the other, less mature mentality and choose not to speak at all. The person who got bullied is showing that he or she is being the bigger person and wants to forget about the past. When the person being bullied fought back, that was a perfect example of this section of Gandhi’s quote.
“Then you win,” is the last step, meaning that after you go through all the tough times, in the end being the bigger person will always end up benefitting more. Being the bigger person shows how you are more mature than whoever the other person involved in the conflict is. Going back to the professor example one last time, if the students respected the professor and did not try to act above him, then it’s possible that any of the extra steps taken would not have been necessary. A person can only reach this point if they get through the “First they ignore you,” “Then they laugh at you,” “Then they fight you,” points in the chosen field or argument first. Winning is the last step in this process that Gandhi explains, and he explains it very well. It can be looked at in a backwards manner. For example if you do not want to put up with the fighting, ignoring, and laughing, then do not pick a fight, argument, or complex situation that you do not want to be a part of. From the professor example, you learn to never act big and bad if you do not want to face the consequences; be the bigger and more mature person and keep your mouth shut.
Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.” demonstrates that we do not need to expect an apology. Sometimes letting things go and being the bigger person is the best way to avoid fights, arguments, and complex situations in the future. Through the examples of the professor and the bully you can see how avoiding both situations has positive outcomes. But if the situation is not avoided, then other problems may arise. By avoiding these situations you are being the bigger more mature person. Every action we choose has to be chosen wisely because if not, problems may arise.

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