Free Essays on Gandhi

"Nonviolence in its dynamic condition means conscious suffering. It does not mean a meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it means pitting one’s whole soul against the will of the tyrant" Mohatma Gandhi "An eye for an eye makes everybody blind" summarizes Gandhi’s view of violence. That statement is one of the greatest things ever said, and was borrowed by other world leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi did not believe in violence as a technique of achieving his goal of an independent India. He preached non-violent non cooperation. Gandhi considered non-violent non cooperation as requireing more courage and dedication then violence. Through the methods he used in his campaign for the Free India he proved the previous statement to be true. Many people would find "non-violence in its dynamic condition" ironic. By the word non-violence Gandhi did not mean mere ignorance of the injustices that came upon his people, He supported active non cooperation, organizing non-violent marches and other events to protest the unfairness of the British occupation of India. In the salt marches Gandhi protested the British monopoly on salt and the salt tax Indians had to pay. He tried to a provoke violent a response from the colonial government. Such a response would show him to the world as a victim and not a tyrant. This approach would expose the British injustice and would get the world’s public opinion on hGandhi’s side. As a result, even the English people supported his independence movement. Gandhi’s non-violent non cooperation required much more bravery and devotion then violent techniques used by some other Indian independence leaders. During a march on a salt plant organized by Gandhi, men stood in line to approach the guards. When they approached, the men stood defenseless, while the guards beat them with sticks. As the beaten men were carried away new ones came for... Free Essays on Gandhi Free Essays on Gandhi Many people feel they can change the world and better it for future generations. They try all sorts of ways to change life, and many don’t accomplish their goals. One person who did accomplish his goals was Gandhi. Gandhi took many actions to affect those who were doing wrong. But did Gandhi accomplish his goals when he wanted to? Did Gandhi accomplish his goals at all? I feel Gandhi did accomplish his goals, but not in his lifetime. Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1869, the world’s greatest man was born. Gandhi went to school in England to become a lawyer. He was trained in formal law, and was classically trained. His education in law made him a diligent thinker. He then established a law practice in Bombay with little success. Two years later he joined an Indian firm. This firm retained him as a legal advisor in Durban. Arriving in Durban, Gandhi found himself treated as though part of an inferior race. He was appalled at the widespread denial of civil liberties and political rights to Indian immigrants in South Africa. He threw himself into the struggle for elementary rights for Indians. He used his training when forming his beliefs. â€Å"The things that will destroy us are: Politics without principle; Pleasure without conscience; Wealth without work; Knowledge without character; Business without morality; Science without humanity, And worship without sacrifice.†1 Gandhi spent the next twenty years of his life in South Africa, being imprisoned many a time. Why was he imprisoned do you ask? Well, this is where you can find out. Gandhi became a freedom fighter for Indians, minus the fighting of course. Well, sort of, Gandhi had been attacked and beaten many times by the white South Africans. He then formed his idea of passive resistance to, and noncooperation with, the South African authorities. â€Å"Make waves, not war†2 He gained inspiration to be a passive resister from the writer Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi’s greatest influenc... Free Essays on Gandhi This essay will explain the correlation between observations made of the movie Gandhi and personal interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita. I believe Gandhi practiced Karma Yoga, or the path to God through work. We will explore the concept as stated in The Worlds Religions, written by Huston Smith, â€Å"†¦The drive to work is psychological rather than economic† in this essay. The movie â€Å"Gandhi† showed a young attorney, named Gandhi, was a victim of discrimination at the hands of the South African people. Gandhi vowed to fight injustices caused by discrimination through peaceful demonstrations and defiance of laws found to be unjust. Gandhi immersed himself in his movement (work) by organizing many peaceful demonstrations and strikes as well as developing a newspaper designed to spread the word of the injustices to all. Gandhi defied the Bhagavad-Gita by denouncing the caste system taught throughout the Hindu religion and did all work to show that one man’s job is as important as another’s. Gandhi believed that everybody would do the work regardless of their caste or class. Gandhi made several statements during the movie to reinforce my belief that he was following Karma Yoga. Gandhi said â€Å"Happiness comes from work and from pride in that work†, â€Å"be prepared to die for injustices†, and â€Å"know your duty† In the Bhagavad-Gita there are several passages that allude to what I believe Gandhi was striving for. Passage 3.16 states â€Å"He who fails to keep turning the wheel thus set in motion has damaged the working of the world and has wasted his life†. I believe this passage alludes to Gandhi’s stubbornness and persistence when it came to accomplishing the goals set for him. Many times during the film it was shown that Gandhi would rather give his life, through fasting and civil non-compliance, than fail at his work. I also believe that Gandhi came to the realization of another passage in the Bhagavad-Gita, 3.... Free Essays on Gandhi Preeminent leader of Indian nationalism and prophet of nonviolence in the 20th cent. Gandhi grew up in a home steeped in religion, and he took for granted ahimsa (noninjury to all living beings) and religious tolerance. He studied law in England, but, too diffident to make a successful lawyer, he ended up taking a job with an Indian firm in S. Africa. There he became an effective advocate for Indian rights. In 1906 he first put into action satyagraha, his technique of nonviolent resistance. His success in S. Africa had given him an international reputation by the time he returned to India in 1914, where within a few years he had become the leader of a nationwide struggle for Indian home rule. By 1920 he commanded influence hitherto unattained by any political leader in India. He refashioned the Indian National Congress into an effective political instrument of Indian nationalism and undertook major campaigns of nonviolent resistance in 1920-22, 1930-34 (incl. his momentous march to t he sea to collect salt to protest a government monopoly), and 1940-42. In the 1930s he also campaigned against discrimination against India's untouchable class and concentrated on educating rural India and promoting cottage industry. India achieved dominion status in 1947, but the fact that the country was partitioned into India and Pakistan was a great disappointment to Gandhi, who had long worked for Hindu-Muslim unity. In September 1947 he ended rioting in Calcutta by fasting. In January 1948 he was shot down by a young Hindu fanatic. Gandhi won the affection and loyalty of millions and became known to all as the Mahatma, or great soul.... Free Essays on Gandhi To be measured as one of the most influential men that have graced the planet with his presence is one of the most crowning achievements a person’s memory can have. Gandhi left such a legacy in which he can be considered one of these chosen few. Gandhi was a simple man, a man of God, a man of himself, and most importantly a man of the people. His sole purpose in his latter part of life was to achieve what every person on the planet deserves and must demand, self rule. Though Gandhi’s messages were very clear and clean cut, the way he went about coming to the conclusions he did was quite intriguing and at times confusing to the average person I imagine. Throughout his life, Gandhi surrounded himself with religious people, Christians, Hindus, and Muslims alike, and he was capable of doing something a vast majority of the world has not been able to do for thousands of years; see all religions and people as equal no matter what. His purpose of life can be best described as a lifelong mission to bring about change in society, a change in government, social order, and religious toleration. The reason I believe that Gandhi was so proficient in getting Indian and just people to follow his teachings were that he was not out to rule a country. His purpose was not to tenet vast lands, reform a church, or invent anything†¦ it was simply to bring the civil liberties that should be given to all beings to the people of his native land of India. Gandhi’s journey in becoming the man he was before being tragically murdered was one of great self-revelation and reinvention. At a somewhat early age Mohandas more or less sold out to the British Empire. He shredded his native heritage and began learning their laws, their ways, and in their country, England. Becoming a lawyer at first could definitely be seen as the ultimate sell out, but in fact it paved the way for his understanding of rights and liberties he later taught. The man tha... Free Essays on Gandhi "Nonviolence in its dynamic condition means conscious suffering. It does not mean a meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it means pitting one’s whole soul against the will of the tyrant" Mohatma Gandhi "An eye for an eye makes everybody blind" summarizes Gandhi’s view of violence. That statement is one of the greatest things ever said, and was borrowed by other world leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi did not believe in violence as a technique of achieving his goal of an independent India. He preached non-violent non cooperation. Gandhi considered non-violent non cooperation as requireing more courage and dedication then violence. Through the methods he used in his campaign for the Free India he proved the previous statement to be true. Many people would find "non-violence in its dynamic condition" ironic. By the word non-violence Gandhi did not mean mere ignorance of the injustices that came upon his people, He supported active non cooperation, organizing non-violent marches and other events to protest the unfairness of the British occupation of India. In the salt marches Gandhi protested the British monopoly on salt and the salt tax Indians had to pay. He tried to a provoke violent a response from the colonial government. Such a response would show him to the world as a victim and not a tyrant. This approach would expose the British injustice and would get the world’s public opinion on hGandhi’s side. As a result, even the English people supported his independence movement. Gandhi’s non-violent non cooperation required much more bravery and devotion then violent techniques used by some other Indian independence leaders. During a march on a salt plant organized by Gandhi, men stood in line to approach the guards. When they approached, the men stood defenseless, while the guards beat them with sticks. As the beaten men were carried away new ones came for... Free Essays on Gandhi In today’s society, violence is a common resolution to conflicts between individuals and the super powers of the world like, America and Afghanistan. Gandhi, a popular philosopher on the ideals of non-violence, could and should be used in society today so all would benefit. Gandhi’s principles of non-violence, if applied to the lives of more people would create a peaceful, more equal and safe society for everyone. They would insure that violence would not be the common resolution. A rational and non-violent way is possible, if it were to be more rigorously applied. Gandhi’s ideals of non-violence should and must be applied in today’s world, if society desires to be a happy, peaceful environment. Non-violent means of resolution is rational and possible. People must see that violence is not the key and it solves virtually nothing. Violence, as a resolution, only brings out hatred and resentment between the conflicting parties, even after conflicts have ended. When Osama Bin Laden commanded the planes to crash into the World Trade Centre to prove his point that America must stop Americanizing other countries, nothing was accomplished. The action only brought more violence and the destruction of the innocent. The event only caused great hatred for not only Osama but towards Afghanistan as well, â€Å"Mankind has to get out of violence only through non-violence. Hatred can be overcome only by love. Counter-hatred only increases the surface as well as the depth of hatred, II-97† (pg.32). Such tragedies could have been a voided if the non-violent method was applied. Non-violence is an action that must be acquired to promote true and absolute peace, â€Å"Peace will never come until the great powers courageously decide to disarm themselves, I-176† (Gandhi on Non-Violence pg.53). Peace must be achieved through the use of rational arguments where a happy medium is to be met, rather than an aggressive method to prove one is... Free Essays on Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi Gandhi was an influential figure in our society. He taught many people about equal rights, honoring their neighbors, and peace and tranquility. Although at times his actions were deemed unbelievable and insane nevertheless, they were effective. In my essay I will be discussing the history of Mohandas Gandhi; the actions he bestowed and took to accomplish freedom for India; and how Mohandas finally obtained freedom for India. Gandhi also known as Mahatma Gandhi was born in the present state of Gujarat on October 2, 1869. He was educated in law at University College, London. In 1891, after Gandhi was admitted to the British bar, he returned to India and attempted to create a law practice in Bombay, which failed. Two years after his failure and India firm with interests in South Africa hired him as a legal adviser to work in their office in Durban. Once Gandhi arrived in Durban he found himself being treated as a member of an inferior race. He was shocked at the denial of civil liberties and political rights to Indian immigrants to South Africa. He then â€Å"threw† himself into the struggle for basic rights for Indians. Gandhi stayed in South Africa for 20 years, being imprisoned many times. In 1896, after being attacked and beaten by white South Africans, Gandhi began to teach a method of â€Å"passive resistance,† to, the South African authorities. Part of the inspiration for this method came from the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. Christ and Henry David Thoreau, a 19th century American writer, also inspired Gandhi. In 1914 the government of the Union of South Africa made important concessions to Gandhi's demands. They included recognition of Indian marriages and abolition of the poll tax for them. When his work is South Africa was complete he returned to India. Following World War I, Gandhi launched his movement of passive resistance to Great Britain. In 1919, the British Parliament pa... Free Essays on Gandhi Indira Gandhi, Sonya Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Annie Besant... What do all these people in common? Yes these are women, but they're also from India. The clothing that they wear effects the nation’s reactions towards her. One piece of clothing that shows a great deal of symbolism is the sari. The sari, in many cultures, aids the famous and soon to be famous. The sari is a long piece of clothing that women wear around the house, outside, regular occasions and also on very special occasions. The sari is usually about 6 yards in length and fits the whole body more than once. It is worn by wrapping the sari around the waist, then adding pleats and then finally shaping the shawl to put over the shoulder. The many famous women of India include Indira Gandhi, Sonya Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Annie Besant. Indira Gandhi was the first female Prime Minister if India. Because Gandhi is a prominent part in the freedom movement, she was in prison for nine months. Her Gandhi was assassinated when her two personal Sikh bodyguards turned against her, Her assassination caused riots that were hard to calm. (Indira, 1) Sonya Gandhi was a congressional leader that ruled in extreme power in the noble country of India. Mother Theresa was a missionary that went through all of India to aid the less fortunate. She offered food, clothing and money to the countle ss poverty stricken citizens. Mother Theresa was a God fearing and was the Hilary Clinton of today. Annie Besant was a theosophist, author and Indian leader. Her informative and inspirational stories inspire many of the younger children to aim for success. All these women play or have played a crucial role in India. Not only that, but also all these women are robed in a beautiful sari that has more than a meaning than a 6-yard piece of clothing. The sari is the symbolism for success. Ladies like Gandhi, Besant, and Mother Theresa are role models to the inspired young ladies that each carry a little bit o... Free Essays on Gandhi 1. â€Å"In non-violence the bravery consists in dying, not in kill.† I-265 I think that Gandhi is trying to make a very clear point that human beings often miss. He states that bravery is dying, not in killing. A violent act against an enemy could make you feel brave; that one fought for what he/she believed in and killed. Gandhi, using non-violent acts to get through to people thinks dying is more honorable if done non-violently then actually killing someone. I agree with Gandhi in the sense that people should not feel brave when they kill. It is so easy to pick up a gun and kill someone, but it so much braver to die for something you believe in and keep peace among people. Gandhi truly believes that he would rather die making his point and being brave in that sense, then killing someone out of hatred. This statement is applicable to the modern world. We often lose track of dignity and pride and feel or act brave for the wrong reason. Soldiers that go into combat to defend our country are very brave. They are called upon by America to protect our country. Obviously there are going to be acts of violence, however in these circumstances the act of bravery is extended. I also think that the soldiers who do kill do not feel brave for the kill, rather than they feel brave for honoring our country and actually protecting it. 2. â€Å"Imperfect as I am, I started with imperfect men and women and sailed on an uncharted ocean.† I-396 Gandhi admits to being imperfect, which is appropriate. He is saying he believes in something, and knows he can not change the world. He says he started with imperfect men and women and sailed on an uncharted ocean. I think he means he educated those who would listen to him. There are humans out there that do believe what Gandhi has to say, and his options are unlimited once he has them believing in non-violent acts. I agree with Gandhi in the sense that he states he’s imperfect but still tries to get p... Free Essays on Gandhi Gandhi: A Man with Virtues Gandhi was an influential figure in our society. He taught many people about equal rights, honouring thy neighbour, and peace and tranquillity. Although at times his actions were deemed improbable and insane nevertheless, they were effective. In my essay I will be discussing the history of Mohandis Gandhi; the actions he bestowed and took to accomplish freedom for India; and how Mohandis finally obtained freedom for India. Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born in the present state of Gujarat on October 2, 1869. He was educated in law at University College, London. In 1891, after Gandhi was admitted to the British bar, he returned to India and attempted to create a law practice in Bombay, which failed. Two years after his failure, and India firm with interests in South Africa hired him as a legal adviser to work in their office in Durban. Once Gandhi arrived in Durban he found himself being treated as a member of an inferior race. He was shocked at the denial of civil liberties and political rights to Indian immigrants to South Africa. He then â€Å"threw† himself into the struggle for basic rights for Indians. Gandhi stayed in South Africa for 20 years, being imprisoned many times. In 1896, after being attacked and beaten by white South Africans, Gandhi began to teach a method of â€Å"passive resistance,† to, the South African authorities. _Part of the inspiration for this method came from the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. Christ and Henry David Thoreau, a 19th century American writer, also inspired Gandhi. In 1914 the government of the Union of South Africa made important concessions to Gandhi's demands. They included recognition of Indian marriages and abolition of the poll tax for them. When his work is South Africa was complete he returned to India. Following World War I, Gandhi launched his movement of passive resistance to Great Britain. ...