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Copyright Bruce Nixon 2010. All rights reserved. This electronic copy is provided free for personal, non-commercial use only. www.brucenixon.com Chapter 7 -Gandhi provides inspiration for the 21 st Century February 2009 His is a completely revolutionary way of thinking. It is striking just how relevant Gandhi’s thinking is today. His arguments for the primacy of local self-determination, local food and appropriate technology are prophetic. Arguably, he was the most successful and influential change agent of the 20 th Century. He got the British out of India and influenced some of the greatest leaders of our time. He called his campaign “All rise” meaning everyone benefits; everyone takes responsibility. He understood the need to find out what it was like for ordinary people and created a growing groundswell for change. His key principles were truth and nonviolence. If only politicians, journalists and business leaders would try this. It takes courage. Gandhi’s thinking could not be more relevant at a time when we fear we are moving closer than ever towards irreversible global warming. We face the potentially devastating effects of climate change; increasing competition for scarce resources; economic and social injustice; fear and insecurity generated by out of control violence in many places; nuclear proliferation and the threat of international terrorism using dirty bombs. State violence and bullying are not answers to these problems. Gandhi was a whole system, living systems thinker. His systemic analysis of the world’s problems is as relevant today as when he lived. He offers a systems approach to tackling these problems rather than “fixes” that don’t work. Gandhi is a guide to those who wish to change things for the better. Gandhi’s thinking is essentially about a sustainable way of life, an economic system based on trusteeship for universal welfare and a society in which everyone gains rather than one in which the few become rich at the expense of the many. It is a system of inter-related thought. Gandhi has much to teach us. His ideas were a response to his time and need adapting for our time. He influenced Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Aung San Suu Kyi and others who inspire us today. Many of his ideas have already born fruit. He had little chance to implement his ideas in India because he was assassinated soon after independence was achieved. He feared that India might rid itself of the British only to perpetuate a “brown” form of exploitation still based on British and European values. Most of his successors, including Nehru, who supported Gandhi in the political struggle, did not share his economic views and believed the future of India lay in industrialising like the West. Nehru ruled India for 17 years and laid the foundations of the Westernisation, which predominates today. Visiting London in 1935, when asked what he thought of Western Civilisation, Gandhi said, “It would be a good idea.” Gandhi illuminates the situation we are in now and how we can respond to the environmental crisis, poverty, violence and international conflict. Gandhi’s movement, called Sarvodaya or “All rise” means remaining firm on the Truth and actively resisting Untruth, using only non-violent means. Sarvodaya is Sanskrit for 'the welfare of all.” Gandhi’s Eleven Principles are the core of his thinking and provide the basis for what we would call a sustainable society and way of life. If all leaders received a Gandhian education, what a difference it would make to the world! They are: 98
Copyright Bruce Nixon 2010. All rights reserved. This electronic copy is provided free for personal, non-commercial use only. www.brucenixon.com 1. Non-violence or love – Ahisma 2. Truth – Satyagraha 3. Fearlessness – Saravatra Bhaya Varjana 4. Self-organisation or self rule – Swaraj Self regulation means self-knowledge and taking responsibility. 5. Non-stealing – Asteya. Part of this is Non-consumerism – Asangraha. This requires ecological humility; realising that waste is a sin against nature and that nature’s cycle should be followed. It is about having enough. 6. Sacred Sex – Brahmacharya 7. Physical work - Sharirashram 8. Avoidance of bad taste – Aswada. Sattva – simplicity Rajas - glamorous Tamas - depressing 9. Respect for all religions – Sarava Dharma Samanatva 10. Self economy or Local economy – Swadeshi decentralisation. 11. Respect for all beings – Sparsha Here is an expansion of the principles: Non-violence or love – Ahisma To deal with abuse of power, you confront love of power with the power of love. Satish Kumar It means resisting oppression non-violently through love - non-violence in thoughts, words and deeds. Gandhi got a response from the British, rather than a reaction, because of non-violence and the power of large numbers of people. Liberation does not mean killing people. Problems are not solved using the same mindset that created them. We can see this clearly in Iraq and Afghanistan. Change of heart ended apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela once said that in a world full of violence and strife, Gandhi's message of peace and nonviolence holds the key to human survival in the 21st Century. We need non-violence as a worldview – non-violence towards nature, women, workers in organisations and animals. The imposition of factory agriculture and inhuman conditions in factories and offices is violence. Gandhi admitted we’ll never reach Utopia – humans are aggressive as well as compassionate. We need to develop non-violent ways of dealing with violence and soldiers of peace to deal with conflicts. Hitler was a product of our military education and an unjust settlement after WW1. The roots of the Middle East conflicts lie in the history of the Crusades, Western foreign policy, injustice and exploitation and the greed of the ruling classes of oil rich Arabian states. Saddam Hussein was built up and supported by the West. We need to look at the system that creates violence and produced Hitler and Saddam. There was no essential difference between Bush and Saddam. We run a war economy. Violence is not working in Iraq or Afghanistan. Violence only creates more violence. Today to destroy ourselves completely is a growing risk. If ever there was a time to have the courage to try non-violence, it is now. It may be difficult but it is not impossible. 99
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