Three days ago the Supreme Court observed that ‘Mahatma’ is far above ‘Bharat Ratna’ as the Mahatma resides ‘in the hearts and minds of every Indian as the Father of the Nation’ (The Hindu, Chennai, 18Jan2020, p.13). We are happy that Loyola celebrates this inspiring personality today to remember his 150th year.
The concept of justice and fairness has been ever changing over the time. Nearly 1,400 years before Christ, the great law giver Moses said: “If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him – fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Lev 24:19f). Some might even agree with this saying that actions are Newtonian, namely ‘what goes around comes around’. At the same time, it is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi saying “ an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind”. Jesus said about 2000 years ago: ‘whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also’ (Mt 5:38). Our divine poet Thiruvallvar underlines the same: “Even if someone does something bad or harmful to you, return it with something good” (Kural 157) – Inna seitharai oruthal, avar nana nanayam seithuvidal. This is bolstered by Peter, the head disciple of Jesus as well as the first Pope, saying: ‘Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary repay evil with blessing’ (I Pt 3:9).
This, then, is the outline for building a non-violent society. But the reality has not very much changed from the past to the present: In the beginning of the existence of human being, we see power struggle between the Good and the Evil. The evil deceives the first pair of human beings, Adam and Eve, ill-advising them to eat the apple against the instruction of the Good God who created them. The fallout grows up as jealousy as we see in the first murder in the Bible: Cain murdering his own brother Abel. Cain was jealous of his younger brother’s offering finding favour with God. Is today’s scenario very much different? In the political arena, there is power struggle and once you come to power, you divide people based on social, economic, religious, political grounds and then try to rule them. Today we see the power and the might first trouble the social and religious water, and then try to fish in the troubled water. As an outcome, the society by and large is filled with violence and hatred. We need to look to build up an alternate society – a non-violent society based on understanding and harmony.
For a basic harmonious and non-violent community, we need:
- Understanding to find and live out our common interests for the good of all;
- Reciprocal awareness of the other to build on the commonness and to reduce the tension on differences;
- Ability to deal with differences in order to deal with mutual conflict and to strengthen varying legitimate interests, capacities, tendencies etc;
- Promotion of interdependence as one cannot live in isolation and one needs the help of others for one’s survival;
- Cooperation promoting harmony as cooperation is the most elementary process of building up meaningful and effective social life; and
- Conflict resolution, which is essential for the formation of healthy society, though conflict is a struggle for continued existence.
In short, a non-violent society requires for its formation and growth both harmony and cooperation to deal with disharmony and conflict. Above all, unity is very much essential. Dr Ambedkar would cite an example: When you throw a stone at a dog, the dog would run away; but if you throw a stone at the honey comb, you have to run for cover, as the entire army of bees would rush to you as they are united.
Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of nonviolent society envisions healthy and harmonized society when its members imbibe moral and ethical values. Only when people internalize them and live them out in their day-to-day lives, can they build a healthy, progressive, and non-violent society. This is possible if and only if there comes up changes in human nature and attitude in order to reconstruct today’s shattered society, with its economic inequality, social discrimination, political sidelining, and religious conflicts, etc as differences in understanding value system and tradition breed violence.
(Cf. https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/nonviolent_society.html)
Gandhi said, “For me India begins and ends in villages”. We have to see how this can be understood and interpreted in an age of ultra modern and digital world. He was for ethical politics inspired by religions but not politics in the name of religion. This is the crux of the point at present.
This vision of new and non-violent society should be born from dreams that have the power to change. It should be a dream of Martin Luther King Jr who dreamt (in August 1963). He said: “I have a dream that one day…, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood… I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” And this dream has not been fully realized even after 56 years with so much development and modernization in the world.
And this transforming dream should concretize as the journey to freedom, equality, and dignity of all human beings. The journey of Nelson Mandela to freedom was actually switching sides: For 10 years he was fighting with the Govt through disobedience, boycotts and other nonviolent methods in order to achieve full citizenship for every single South African – white or black. Then he changed his strategy – He studied law, entered the power politics and became the President of South Africa. As a president he realized his dream of freedom, equality, and dignity for all. He realized that education is the key, as he said: ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’.
It is not the intellectual education alone but education of one’s heart that matters – Education is not merely what one knows, but education should form one how to feel for the other – Education should help one grow in sympathy and empathy for others, especially those in the lower strata of the society. Power is not to destroy others but it is to help others come up in life and society.
In his novel War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy, who influenced the Mahatma, would say: ‘God is the same everywhere’. And we could add: Human being is the same everywhere. Why then there should be conflict and violence against each other in any society? Let us look for peace and harmony.
This harmony, according to the recent General Congregation of the Jesuits held in Rome (in Oct 2016), is three fold, namely, harmony with God; harmony within humanity; and harmony with our common home, which is the broken world today (GC 36 D1/22-30). Today our environment also becomes part of our non-violent society. We need to take it into our consideration.
The outline of the non-violent society has been given by Jesus in his famous sermon on the mount. He preached: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs in the kingdom of heaven… Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth… Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Mt 5:3-10). And he also gave humanity the golden rule to live in harmony and peace. He said: Do unto others what you expect them to do to you (Lk 6:31). Our unique contribution, however small, for the good of the world makes a difference. And this has to become a ripple effect. For Mahatma Gandhi the starting point for a non violent society is one’s conscience. Non-violence starts there with me, then it spreads to my neighbor, further it engulfs my nation, and finally it embraces the whole world. Ultimately truth should prevail as Jesus would confirm as he said: “know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32).
I am happy that Institute of Dialogue with Cultures and Religions (IDCR) has organized this event to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of our Father of the Nation with the talk by Shri Raj Mohan Gandhi. And I welcome all of you to his great event – Let this be an enlightening and enlivening experience for us all. Wish you all fruitful and enriching interaction.
Francis P Xavier SJ