Gandhi & His Views

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, is a prominent figure in both Indian and global history and has become an icon of peace and pacifism. Preaching beliefs of non-violence, he led the movement for India’s independence against the British Occupation and is acknowledged as one of the many figureheads of civil rights and freedom throughout history. His early years contained much of the influence that would shape him later in life, though he remained pious and astute in his beliefs. Gandhi spent many years in a vastly different culture from his Indian roots when he moved to England to study law. In spite of the change of environment he maintained the vow to be free of meat, promiscuity, the consumption of alcohol. The years he spent in London were few and of less importance compared to the many years that would follow, where he would fight, or rather not fight, for civil rights; first in South Africa and then in India’s struggle for independence.

In Mahatma Gandhi's "Satyagraha”, Gandhi is able to supports his beliefs just as Machiavelli does in "The Qualities of a Prince", making his views more realistic than that of Lao-Tzu’s. Gandhi introduces his work by defining the meaning of the title as “holding on to truth, hence truth-force… love-force… soul-force” (6). I believe that his ideas revolve around perspectives as he states, “For what appears to be truth to the one may appear to be error to the other…” (6). Gandhi gives the example of an armed thief who steals from a household; one may react differently to this thief. One may act upon brute force or out of kindness. In any case, the end result is to get the thief out of the house, which brings Gandhi to his point: “Somehow or other, we have to gain our end” (11). 

Personally, I agree with the means Gandhi wishes to obtain peace. It is not as idealistic as Lao-Tzu's nor as harsh as Machiavelli's ideas. Gandhi's beliefs, such as patience being "self-suffering" (6), is somewhat connected to the truth of life, which then lead me to believe that Gandhi's way of non-violence is much more applicable to the "real" world, especially in contemporary times.