Feature

Gandhism and Modern Civilization

Rama Islam

As the world is increasingly experiencing massive conflicts, the theory Gandhism assumes special significance for this modern civilization. We are consumed by the flames of birth and aging, sickness and depression, sadness and suffering, anxiety and agony. The earthly flames of greed and desires are abounding around the world. The world is now becoming a “burning house” which includes Afganistan, Iraq and Palestine. Now Pakistan is also moving to that stage. In such a stage the world should look into the nonviolence stance that is analogous to Gandhism.

Gandhism, in quite uncomplicated and lucid words, is an amalgam of Mahatma Gandhi's views and practices. It revolves around ahimsa (non-violence), which is the most ancient, perpetual, individual as well as social, value; it is an active force, connected with God and, thus, stays to be true, and it is a dharma in grandeur. Gandhism (or Gandhianism) is a collection of inspirations, principles, beliefs and philosophy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was a major political and spiritual leader of India and its Independence Movement. Gandhi stated that “I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills”. Gandhi's commitments to non-violence, human freedom, equality and justice arise from his self examination and practice.

In the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi made a momentous contribution showing a wonderful, simple and justifiable way for awakening to and practicing non-violence in life. This theory will help us establish co-ordination and synthesis between all concepts of the East and the West, old and new.

For aquiring this real education, like moral and ethical, self-control and good character are very essential because this kind of education brings the values of forbearance, tolerance, and reverence in one's character. A person who is not a moralist will not be able to differentiate between right and wrong. He surely will not be able to contribute to the development of the culture of peace. T.S. Eliot, the representative of modernism realises the importance of peace which he refers in his masterpiece The Waste Land. The ending line of this poem is- “Shanti, shanti, shanti!”

Our main purpose in this world is to establish peace. In this world we are alienated from each other and one country from another. We are always struggling with hatred and compassion, the destructive and constructive aspects of life. Though we are able to feel the sufferings and pains of our fellow human beings, we are not getting out of the clutch of conflict and war.

21st century marks the beginning of the third millennium and we can't forget the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United Sates of America. This was the first threat at the very beginning of the 21st century and a great tragedy in the modern world. Materialism is catching us tightly. The earthly desires are erupting in the form of terrorist attacks and war throughout the world. Humanity faces a host of global issues including nuclear weapons, terrorism, war, extreme poverty, disregard for human rights, discrimination based on sex, race and religion and the destruction of ecosystem and environment. Though we are human beings the power within us is moving us to animalism.

Gandhi's deep commitment to and disciplined belief in non-violent civil disobedience as a way to oppose tyranny, oppression and injustice have inspired many succeeding political figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. of the United States, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko of South Africa, Lech Walesa of Poland and Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar.

Nelson Mandela spent nearly three decades in prison for his struggle against apartheid. Much of his 27 years in prison was spent in a cell on Robben Island, Mandela became the most widely known figure in the struggle against apartheid. Among opponents of apartheid in South Africa, and internationally, he became a cultural icon as a proponent of freedom and equality. Mandela's approach was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, who inspired him and succeeding generations of South African anti-apartheid activists.

Heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, Aung San Suu Kyi, a nonviolent pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar (Burma), and a noted prisoner of conscience entered politics to work for democratisation and was put under house arrest. She was offered freedom if she would leave the country, but she refused.

Martin Luther King was instrumental in the founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, a group created to harness the moral authority and organizing power of black churches to conduct non-violent protests in the service of civil rights reform. King, as an adherent of the Gandhi's philosophies of nonviolent civil disobedience, applied this philosophy to the protests organized by the SCLC. In 1959, he wrote The Measure of a Man, from which the piece What is Man?, an attempt to sketch the optimal political, social, and economic structure of society, is derived.

So we should re-evaluate the current civilization. Surely we need to change our society to establish the qualities of compassion, nonviolence and self-control. This is the path of enlightenment and empowerment which has been shown to us by our great scholar, guide, spiritual teacher, philosopher and thinker Gandhi. As a force, the spiritual power of nonviolence will help us overcome all types of greed and lust. We should individually and collectively practice this theory in our day-to- day life. All of us should find out a way to live in harmony with all and in peace.

(Writer is Lecturer, Department of English Metropolitan University, Sylhet)