c c c c c Reflection

The great soul, Mahatma Gandhi once commented on the pace of western life with these words;
he said: ³there is more to life than increasing its speed.´ There is more to life that all the rush and
push and fast talk we seem to have to endure. Mahatma Gandhi led a life that many can hardly
even think of leading. A true saint, Gandhi sacrificed not only materials but more importantly
selfish motives and private goals. Gandhi could have led a very comfortable life as the attorney
that he was and made loads of money for personal luxury. However, his innermost voice would
never have allowed that. The Mahatma lived each day and each moment in thought of the
millions around who lived in conditions that affected him enough to change his whole life
around - goals, motives and living style.

The sum total of Gandhi's life is impossible to capture in a few words. He was larger than life,
which is paradoxical as he chose to exist at the lowest level humanly possible. His steadfast
determination to achieve democracy through non violent, non co-operative protests is what made
him immortal. When these measures failed to bring the results that he sought, he would fast until
the violence that he abhorred, stopped.

Gandhi's philosophy was not only spiritual, but also political and social, with a profound respect
for individuality. In its core there are two predominant words, "satya" that means truth and
"ahimsa" which means nonviolence, along with his principles of "civil disobedience" and
"nonviolent activism" which have proved universal ideals.

Gandhi maintained that it was the duty of each individual to transform him/her by attempting to
live following the principles of truth and nonviolence. In order to achieve this, one had to
develop a spirit of selflessness, responsibility, sacrifice for the general good, and simplicity.
When Gandhi referred to simplicity, he did not mean poverty. He meant a voluntary simple way
of life without hoarding and consumption only of what was really necessary.

Gandhi had admitted that one of his life's most important influences was that of Henry David
Thoreau. While he was in Africa he had read Thoreau's essay "Resistance to Civil Government",
which later appeared under the title "Civil Disobedience", and in 1907, when he started his
Satyagraha campaign, he stated that Thoreau's writings were applicable to resistance against
British government in Africa and India.

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Traditionally, leaders have been defined as those who hold power; allowing presidents, prime
ministers and military generals, regardless of their accomplishments, to be considered leaders.
Leadership studies have been further detracted from "moral leadership" because of the confusion
of leadership with management. John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, and Bill Gates are considered
leaders for the economic power they amassed. The confusion of leadership with power and
leadership with management has led to a model of leadership that is Machiavellian
(manipulative), hierarchical, authoritative, impersonal, elitist, and self-interested.
Gandhi exhibited none of the qualities named above. This person held no official political title;
he commanded no army and he amassed no great wealth. He did, however, have tremendous
influence. This truly exemplary leader derived his power from the conscious citizenry.

Gandhi¶s influence extended beyond the borders of India to the rest of the world. Gandhi¶s
philosophy of non-violence inspired millions, including the great American civil rights leader
Martin Luther King Jr. A simple, pious man, Gandhi identified with and won the hearts of
India¶s most politically and economically marginalized people. He spent his life fighting to
overcome modern forms of enslavement and oppression- caste oppression, religious hatred,
gender oppression, and, what he saw as the worst form of violence, poverty

One of the characteristics that made Gandhi successful was his ability to identify with the poor
masses of India. Gandhi¶s philosophy of self-rule distinguished itself from the elitism that
characterized the Indian Independence movement, as well as virtually all other Independence
movements of this century. Gandhi knew that freeing India from the yoke of imperialism also
meant freeing the masses from economic servitude. Gandhi was opposed to Independence for
only an elite few; he was fearful of an Independent India that would replicate past religious, caste
and economic oppressions.

Gandhi provided leadership by example. He exhibited the perfect marriage between personal
morality and public action. The best example of this was his use of homespun cloth that provided
employment for the poor masses and revived the village economy. In a world in which the
inequalities generated by a global economy are becoming more obvious and frightening,
Gandhi¶s critique of technology and economies that benefit the powerful and marginalize the
powerless is all too relevant today.

The best demonstration of Gandhi¶s leadership is his worldwide influence. American civil rights
leader, Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Belo of
East Timor, and countless other leaders have been deeply influenced by Gandhi and his
philosophy of non-violence.

Gandhi¶s greatest legacy is the notoriety he achieved for advocating non-violence as a means of
overcoming oppression. It is this belief that guides the actions of millions of average citizens
who participate in civil society movements today across the globe.

Some say that Gandhi was a saint who tried to become a politician; some others say that he was a
politician who tried to be a saint. Gandhi himself had agreed with the latter, because he had
always struggled to remove all kinds of injustice from society. Above all, he was a humanist and
a great philosopher. He was a proponent of unity and harmony, who wanted Satyagraha to be a
means of satisfaction for both rival parties, not a means for division and further struggle. Gandhi
did not want the oppressors to be defeated with moral and nonviolent means. With his behavior
and way of life, he wanted to teach them a lesson in order to make them realize their mistake and
change heart. He said: "All my actions have their source in my inalienable love of humankind."
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