E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Five Fallacies … 129knees an arrogant priesthood. Christ drove out the moneychangersfrom the temple of Jerusalem and drew down cursesfrom Heaven upon the hypocrites and the pharisees. Both werefor intensely direct action ....Buddha would have died resistingthe priesthood, if the majesty of his love had not proved to beequal to the task of bending the priesthood, Christ died on thecross with a crown of thorns on his head defying the might of awhole empire. And if I raise resistance of a non-violentcharacter, I simply and humbly follow in the footsteps of thegreat teachers named by my critic." 14Any attempt to 'purify' Satyagraha by 'exorcising' it ofDirect Action will therefore lead us back from Buddha, andJesus and Gandhi, and the other prophets who were men ofaction, to the recluses in the penance groves.But Direct Action is not the first step. The first step isthe identification of the ethical issues that the situation poses,taking a stand on the rights and wrongs of the issue. ASatyagrahi can not evade the issue, lest evasion results inacquiescence in untruth or evil. His stand has to be clear andunambiguous. It has to be open, since secrecy has no place inSatyagraha. Unlike those who believe in violent direct action,the Satyagrahi cannot observe silence on the issue, and preparein secret for 'action', For the Satyagrahi both the preparationand the action are in the open. Gandhi has describedSatyagraha as an open lesson in democracy; that is thecreation, organization and assertion of public opinion. Onecannot create public opinion by concealing one's own opinion.Public opinion can be created, and the courage needed for opendefiance can be generated only through public articulation ofrights and wrongs, of the nature of the injustice and the remedythat it calls for. Gandhi thought and worked in the open. Histhoughts and experiences were put before the public withmeticulous truthfulness even when they were not directlyrelated to what are regarded as public affairs.