Module 2, Week 3 – Gandhi the Man

I found this to be a very involved week of reading between the podcasts and the book. I feel pretty immersed in Gandhi, which is a very good thing I think.

One of my favorite aspects of the “Gandhi the Man” book is that it centers considerably around his personal transformation. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to see the finished product, which is largely how Gandhi is portrayed and remembered. Seeing that he got this way through great struggle and effort and not just with an inherent talent can be quite inspiring. I thought the quote that the main part of the book ended on “I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith” was pretty fitting and a good choice. When you read about Gandhi and his life it makes one feel that what he accomplished is replicable, which is an important task in itself. I felt like throughout the book little habits he had such as always being punctual, which is not one of my strong suits right now, while seemingly small in the overall scheme of things is quite important in being the person you want to be. The comment in particular that stood out in that regard was “You may not waste a grain of rice or a scrap of paper… and similarly a minute of your time. It is not ours. It belongs to the nation and we are trustees for the use of it.” It is an illustration of the larger theme that came up continually that everything and all aspects of our life are interrelated.

I have read “Gandhi the Man” a few times and continually get more out of it. Learning about Gandhi’s spiritual practices is always very helpful to try and figure out what worked for him that he was able to use. I am always trying to learn different practices to use and areas of my life I can change. I remember reading Gandhi’s autobiography a number of years ago and making numerous changes. One of them, which I was again reminded of reading this book, was something simple such as cutting my own hair and it is something that I take for granted but get satisfaction and a feeling of self-sufficiency from.

The podcasts had a ton of material. There were numerous areas that really grabbed me and that I got great value from. The one area that sticks out is the economics area. I thought it was very telling that Gandhi did not really study any of the noted economists, which the podcast mentions as a fact he was quite proud of. From reading his autobiography I know “Unto this Last” by John Ruskin was a considerable inspiration. It is a book I read a few years ago and it was really amazing. I got my undergraduate degree in business and can say there was nothing I remember that was even remotely as striking as this book. The podcast mentions that Gandhi believed that the economy should satisfy the basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing for everyone. His economics also revolved around bread labor, swadeshi, and production by the masses as opposed to mass production. I have been interested in some of these areas for sometime. Particularly the area of bread labor, something constructive and productive that I could do basically every day is something that has been in my mind for quite awhile. I have not found it yet but hope that through experimentation and effort I can find something. My bachelors degree is in business while my master’s degree is in homeland security. I feel that Gandhi’s economic policy is aligned with both these areas as his economic policy is one that I feel would be much more aligned with both personal and societal security, so much more so than what passes for business or homeland security today. I got a good deal out of these podcast in this respect and hope I can continue to learn more in this area moving forward.

One other area that stuck out a lot is how Gandhi believed you got power. It mentions that he believed you got power through renunciation not through acquisition. I have found this true in my own life but still find myself at times grasping at things, such as books, to buy if I am feeling in a slump. This statement that it is through renunciation that power is gained has great truth and I hope to keep that in mind next time I am looking to improve myself in some area.

The book on Gandhi complemented the movie on Gandhi well as it dove deeper into the principles and ways of Gandhi’s being, something that the movie missed out on elaborating. The book highlighted for me many points of significance for all those looking to create change in our lives, families, communities, and world. Although I was unable to finish the complete book, I was able to read about 60 pages through Google Books, thus able to grasp the first sections of his life and experiences. What really stood out to me and still stands out to me is Gandhi’s personal changes and struggles as a young adult; finding his place professionally and personally and discovering himself and his voice. I feel as though I am there in the crux of this period in my life professionally, where I could go in any direction but still don’t feel like I know where I am going. Gandhi’s monumental change from quiet/shy to an incredible change-maker makes his journey more tangible for people like me; to see him struggle with his trajectory and purpose in life at the beginning allows me to say “he was like me.” Gandhi said, “I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.” He made his work and message clear and attainable for all, something that is extremely empowering and excited for me. Gandhi’s philosophy of learning by doing rather than being theoretical proves the attainability of his work. When he waits to tell the young boy to stop eating sugar until he has stopped taking sugar, he shows his dedication to the principle of action instead of theory.
Gandhi’s development started with himself and then extended onward like ripples in water. His emphasis was first on himself and his personal relationships, as being microcosms of the larger community and society. The author explains Gandhi’s thinking, “he could not expect to put out the fires of anger and hatred elsewhere if the same fire smoldered his own home and heart.” Again, this exemplifies his commitment to action and proving the validity of his own principles, but also that the starting point to change lies with yourself and those closest to you. His transformation of anger and other strong poignant emotions also offers a way to achieve personal development and peace. I have been trying to do these transformations from anger to another more useful emotion/action; although it hasn’t come naturally yet, I have found myself relieved of anger once I convert it to something like gratitude for the blessing I am facing issues with. Gandhi said all these skills we can develop; new systems and highways of thinking can be built in replacement of malfunctioning and maladjusted systems of thinking that might exist. I personally know this can be done with a lot of hard work, commitment and guidance; I have rebuilt flawed emotional/psychological systems in my mind, allowing me to find peace, strength, inner love, strength and ultimately my real self after suffering from the side-effects of operating on systems based upon fear, hatred, disillusion, and disharmony.
Additionally, I have found myself in a new location for work, where I am not as welcomed/integrated with the community as I had been my last time in this new country. I am having a hard time adjusting and becoming acclimated with the new environment since I feel out-of-place. I have found myself projecting these feelings onto the greater community, not allowing myself to see them a friend or individual but rather as the community as a whole that I feel rejected from. I have identified this malfunctioning pathway that only manifests my fear itself and have been working on changing my perceptions from their perception of me to my perceptions of them—which should be love, acceptance, and openness. I am in the process of transferring over my habit of extending ‘I love you’s’ in order to transform my fear/anxiety into love and acceptance. Also, the author explains, “[Gandhi] began to look on every difficulty as an opportunity for service, a challenge which could draw out of him greater resources of intelligence and imagination.”; I have been doing my best to perceive the new challenges as opportunities for growth and a hidden lesson that will come to fruition one day down the road. By taking a 10,000 foot view rather than a 10 foot view at situations like these helps tremendously, as seeing from a 10,000 foot view allows one to see the interconnectedness of actions, events, experiences, and people, as well as the fact we are all one regardless of any external factors or systems.
On another side note, I am also living in a violence-orientated culture where violence/beatings are so common. To make the point, for example, if someone commits suicide, the community/family will even beat the dead body for having done such an act, rather than sympathizing with the victim for whatever issues he/she was having that pushed them to that extreme. For me, as a strong advocate against violence done especially on marginalized populations (women, children, people of lesser power, etc.), it can be really painful to hear and experience. I really would love to find a way to bring NV classes/education to the communities I work with but know that the path hasn’t shown its way yet and it will at the right time. Until then, I am reminded daily at the perpetual cycle of violence we put ourselves in when we choose to hate and hurt rather than love and accept.

I definitely have felt immersed in the man who was Gandhi this week! This is my second reading of “Gandhi the Man” and it was much more powerful for me this time. I think it might be because we have been delving so deeply into his life work of nonviolence that getting to understand the source of his own strength gives me a much broader understanding of him and his work. I really appreciated Easwaran’s very personal approach to Gandhi. His writing about Gandhi’s life as a “work of art” struck me in a different way than it had the first time. The great take away that I had this time around was the absolute emphasis that Gandhi had on the boundless strength of the human spirit! He so believed and lived it in his life. How else could he have survived and thrived under such violence toward him and toward his beloved India? “The body might be frail, but the spirit is boundless” is the quote that I am carrying with me this time. I was also impressed with how practical (he would call it scientific exploration, I think) Gandhi was able to make the spiritual principles that he espoused. To hold on to Truth (which is actually what is real) all we have to do is to withdraw our support from what is wrong. Evil will collapse from lack of support! That is a simple but difficult lesson that even I can put into practice. I am thinking that on a simple scale all I have to do to combat rumors and untruths is not to spread them. I can of course go further and shed light on the truth in those cases too. The practical nature of Gandhi’s nonviolence has really come through for me as I have been reading and listening this week. So, that is what I am taking away and also sharing with the rest of you. Study on, fellow travelers!