Once Upon A Time…

Remembering historical events and

considering their significance for families today

If vitriol returns vitriol, the only outcome is more of the same. I see this everyday with my kids. One hurts the other, and the other fights back. They’re not diplomatic. At least not yet.

So why is making war so easy, while waging peace is not? On this day of his birth, October 2, we ought to remember the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born in 1869 in Porbandar, Kathiawar, India.

Later known as Mahatma, meaning “great soul,” Gandhi is often considered the originator of non-violent protest. Whether he was standing up to racial oppression in South Africa where he spent his young adulthood working as a lawyer, or later empowering Indians to seek independence from British rule, Gandhi’s approach was not to face his oppressor with the same hatred. Instead, he advocated for peaceful protests, boycotts, and strikes. His most well-known act of civil-disobedience was the 1930 Salt March, in which thousands of Indians walked with Gandhi from Ahmedabad to the Arabian Sea, approximately 240 miles, in protest of British taxation on salt.

Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1948, was instrumental in the country’s march to independence from Britain, which it gained in August 1947, a mere six months before Gandhi’s death.

Gandhi’s legacy teaches us that how we confront our oppressor often determines the outcome. If we seek peace and justice, then it is peace and justice we must give. Whether we take a knee, or stand arm in arm, we send a message. Perhaps the loudest message of all.

◊♦◊

Photo from Biography.com

The post Great Soul appeared first on The Good Men Project.