Monday, September 17, 2012

Reading Log 2: First Response to "Satyagraha: Non-Violent Resistance" by Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi wrote the Satyagraha while he was in South Africa. Satyagraha literally means "holding on to truth", which is why Gandhi uses the word "Truth-Force". The Satyagraha is a way to protest without any violence. Gandhi believes in non-violence and states that it is the best way to obtain results. Instead of using violence and brute fore, we should pity others.

Gandhi states that there are many different ways to handle a robbery at your house. You can be hostile and fight with the robber. This will lead to a never-ending chain of hatred between you and the robber. However, you can pity the robber and talk to him. You can try to make him feel guilty so that he never steals again. Thus, you change a man's life and obtain a new friend. This example also proves that the means to obtain an outcome does matter, which is another one of Gandhi's philosophies. Like I said before, there are many different "means" to tackle the robbery situation, and according to Gandhi, the ones with love and pity are the best means. The "means" are important!

Gandhi also writes about history. He states that history only records interruptions in the flow of nature, like disputes between leaders, fights between people, wars between countries and other sorts of destruction. Truth-Force is one with nature, so it is never noted down in history. This is why we cannot use history as a reference to how beneficial Truth-Force or Love-Force really is. Looking back in history might give us the wrong idea about Truth-Force, according to Gandhi.

Gandhi also states that, "Those that take the sword shall perish by the sword." He means that a person who starts a fight will definitely suffer from the fight. A country that starts a war will be blown away by war. This statement helps empower the Satyagraha. It can be derived that if you pity others, you will be pitied too. Thus, Gandhi effectively expresses his reasoning on how Truth-Force or Soul-Force is the perfect weapon against oppression.

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