Wisdom of Ghandi

by Xander 7 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Xander

  Since it applies so much to these days, I think I'll keep a thread going just tossing up some quotes. Perhaps with comments.

  Destruction is not the law of humans. Man lives freely only by his
  readiness to die, if need be, at the hands of his brother, never by killing him.
  Every murder or other injury, no matter for what cause, committed or inflicted on
  another is a crime against humanity.

  Perhaps the most applicable?

  And an important reminder to those whose rallying cry is "Remember the...." (whatever the latest attack was):

  To forgive is not to forget. The merit lies in loving in spite of the vivid
  knowledge that the one that must be loved is not a friend.

  And, finally, two points that go well together:

  Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and
  done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.

  Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is
  mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man

  I think the only way to really effect change in the regions the US wants to effect change in is by HELPING the population, not toppling the current governments.

  As to our own defense?

  Build the damn missile shield!

  Quit cutting coast guard funding, see to it they CAN inspect every ship coming in or out of the country. (This will, of course, create more jobs, as well).

  But this invading and bombing other countries...it's the wrong thing to do. It won't work in the long run. It simply won't. Sure, maybe the US takes out a couple crazy dictators, others will fill their places. One only has to look at the history of the world to see that.

  What needs to occur is for the people of the countries to see they are being oppressed by their own government, and to resist that oppression. US military intervention isn't going to change anything.

  By relying on military intervention, the US will end up playing a game of 'whack-a-mole' around the world as dictators spring up here and there. That's not the way to peace.
• 

  Simon

  I think the current situation is paying for the folly of 20 - 30 years ago and unfortunately instead of doing things better or differently, they have just chosen to do the same thing with more rigour.

  I think helping and supporting the people rather than the governments that are often abusive (eg. Iraq, Saudie, Egypt etc...) would do more real good and stop so much resentment which is a breeding ground for extremists.
• 

  SloBoy

  Xander,

  Good post. With all this cumulative anxiety floating around, it's good to pause and think about the power of not only Ghandi's words, but his actions as well. It forces the mind to consider options that for most of us are so seemingly "strange". There is something about it that my soul agrees with, yet my mind says, "yeah, but what about this, or what if this should happen?" His words tend towards a magnificent solution. A simple solution. Simple but not easy for those of us weaned daily on the propaganda of fear.
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  gitasatsangha

  Ghandi helped bring about the first peaceful return of a colony to self rule. So when people say you can't give peace a chance, there is always Ghandi, showing that it CAN be done.
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  Simon

  Although, the be fair, the British did play a big part too ... they were already dismantling the empire and it's doubtful whether many 'opposers' would have been treated with as much respect by other empires. The fact is the British respected what he did and rewarded it ... they only faught against self rule when people wanted to fight for it (typical British pig-headedness)
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  Xander

  I think as important as the concept of peaceful resistance is, equally important is the lesson that the people themselves must control their destiny. It was the Indians who had to free India through their actions.

  More quotes:

  You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees.
  An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil.
  A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul.

  Democracy and violence can ill go together.
  Evolution of democracy is not possible if we are not prepared to hear the other side.

  Perhaps a perfect quote to demonstrate why constantly meddling is not going to help. Democracy must evolve in a popultion, and it must evolve giving equal time to opposition arguments.

  What kind of victory is it when someone is left defeated?

  Violent means will give violent freedom.

  However much I may sympathize with and admire worthy motives, I am an
  uncompromising opponent of violent methods even to serve the noblest of
  causes.

  And, finally for today, I'll leave with a very thought provoking quote:

  It is the law of love that rules mankind. Had violence, i.e. hate, ruled us
  we should have become extinct long ago. And yet, the tragedy of it is that
  the so-called civilized men and nations conduct themselves as if the basis
  of society was violence.
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  czarofmischief

  Um, didn't Ghandi eat lead and die?

  CZAR
• 

  Ed

  I like Gandhi's comment to a journalist who asked him what he thought of Western civilization - "I think it would be a good idea."