Lakshmi Manasa Maddi: Week 12 - Strive for Unity
Lakshmi Manasa Maddi - Week 12: Strive for Unity
Beyond the power actions hold, the words uttered by some very powerful and influential individuals such as Mahatma Gandhi, have left an everlasting impact on the society. His philosophy of promoting non-violent acts has grown to become more relevant in society as his words have continuously given more hope to the people of marginalized communities. Before I get into specific quotes of his which always inspire me to become a better person, I would like to give a brief context into some of the thoughts he presented to the public, which truly reflected the type of personality he had. A well-known historian, Rajmohan Gandhi, refers to the relevance of Gandhi’s actions in the past in the context of today’s world by mentioning how the freedom of expression and thought in many artists today are able to do so fearlessly without needing to worry about what others think (Nanda). The struggle faced by Gandhi still resonates in practicality and applicability in the present day due to many changes in mindsets such as this one (Nanda).
In addition to generic changes of views of thinking, Gandhi fought to raise awareness on making the right decisions according to problems faced such as finding solutions to how India was facing many protests against a citizenship law that was seen as prejudicial in opposition to Muslims (Nanda). As different sectors of India faced various problems pertaining to racism and discrimination against themselves for reasons such as their religion, race, differing viewpoints, skin tone, and many more, Gandhi, at all times, strove for resolving these issues from the root (Nanda). By taking a close look at which government officials and officers are the main causation for these problems, he was able to pass bills to counter the laws these specific people were attempting to pass so the issue would be put to a stop (Nanda). Their present state of being is undesirable and must not develop as the ruling party can only have the ability to create any law in Parliament (Nanda).
Many incidents done in his relevance directly speak in response to some quotes he was famous for saying such as, “Live as you were to die tomorrow.” and “Learn as if you were to live forever,” because it keeps me in the state of thinking that no matter how dreadful or sad of a day we might be experiencing, we should be happy to the best of our ability (Nanda).The term happiness can also be defined as one that comes purely out of our personal intentions of staying in harmony and being entirely nonviolent in our thoughts (Nanda). Mahatma Gandhi has and will always be a man who I take inspiration from to become a better version of myself.
Hi Manasa! It's very cool that you are inspired by famous historical figures such as Gandhi and are influenced by them in your day to day life. Whenever I learn about important leaders and activists, I just think "Wow, good on these people for making the world a better place," but I either forget about them as soon as I leave the classroom, or I become really pessimistic and think, "Yeah, I'll never be able to invoke change as great as what these people have." I suppose I have been trying to listen to the "Live as you were to die tomorrow" advice (and failing miserably) and I tell that to myself whenever I'm sad. I wish you luck in your journey to be a better person as I am trying to do so as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa! Although Gandhi was certainly an influential figure throughout history, I've always taken the words of famous activists for granted. I think that they do offer insight into an outlook on life, but I suppose I've never really thought about actually applying their sayings to my own life. I really liked the quote from Gandhi that you provided, and I agree that it does teach something valuable about reacting to having bad days. I also liked your point about happiness being intrinsic and how Gandhi exemplified that. I also hope to become a better person and I really enjoyed reading about how you plan to do so.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, for as long as I can remember, Mahatma Gandhi has always been viewed as an influential figure. I did all my elementary school projects on him and took great pride in a famous activist being from my home country. Recently, there has been new information about the mistakes he's made—his past racism and sexism. It was shocking to me as, just like you, I always believed Gandhi was the epitome of good in the world. But your post has made me realized that we can look at figures in history through a nuanced aspect. Yes, he made mistakes, but that doesn't mean we should overlook the monumental impact he had on society. Thank you for your post, and I look forward to your next one.
ReplyDeleteHello Manasa, Gandhi truly is a very important activist in history, and it is good to know that he serves as your inspiration. I like how apart from just his activism, you focused on Gandhi's perspective of an ideal character. Gandhi is a good role model, so it is good to learn about his perspectives on his life and adapt it.
ReplyDeleteHey Manasa, I found your blog topic this week very interesting as it discussed the positive nature of Gandhi's quotes and ideologies alongside his personal flaws and issues. This nuanced discussion behind his character is reflective of how there's a massive range of morality in each person, heavily impacted by the circumstances and events of his time, which is crucial to reflect on as society and humanity evolves. The racist and sexist ideologies of Gandhi at the time were acceptable at the time, even considered progressive when compared with more radically immoral reflections of the same concepts. This reflection of good and bad exists in everyone, I'd say, and is a crucial facet of explaining Gandhi's crimes and more immoral side. However, it cannot be denied that Gandhi played a major and positive role in Indian history, providing some good whether it be in his good actions or his more idealistic notions.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, I definitely agree with your point on how social activists and reformers also have a lot of power because their words inspire momentous change. As for Gandhi specifically, I have always found his preachings on the non-violent movements and how he helped India gain independence inspirational. However, I recently discovered that Gandhi was also a sexist and racist and he committed several disgusting sins. This came as a shock to me when I first heard about it because I had always looked up to Mahatma Gandhi as a moral hero. However, I guess if you idolize someone too much, they always end up letting you down in one way or another. One thing that the POAS papers made exceptionally clear is that everyone has good and bad in them. No one is perfectly moral and righteous and no one is completely evil either. It’s interesting however, how the immoral acts of “heros” and the good deeds of “villains” are overlooked. One question that I am now seriously contemplating is how we can accurately tell the story of these important figures without diminishing their complexity.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, I would have to agree with the idea that the activists of before have played a massive role in the shaping of our lives. There is likely not a single person in America that has not heard of MLK, no matter their personal opinions on him and his movement. Across America, MLK's famous words "I have a dream" are forever immortalized in our educational system. Mahatma Gandhi is as you say, one of these "powerful and influential individuals." His actions have changed the world; his choices have made India what it is today. By leaving a legacy of non-violence, he paved the path for future activists: those that could change the world without leaving death and destruction in their wake. But to us, Gandhi remains a symbol of hope and inspiration, one that braved the British to bring independence to millions.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa! I enjoyed your blog post and learned a lot about social reformers. Key figures such as Mahathma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Nelson Mandela are all social reformers whose words and identities symbolized so much more than just their accomplishments. They symbolized their ideals and what they were standing up for. For that they will be remembered forever serving as inspirations for the causes they lead, or at least appeared to take charge of. I have however heard many horrific things about Gandhi. He was horribly racist, sexist, and for lack of better words "a creep." Some of the things he did do not align with what he stood for. But yet these are overshadowed by the powerful movement he built up and those he had inspired throughout the world in nonviolent protest. I personally think it's wrong to idealize people fully without acknowledging the wrong they may have done, but there's nothing wrong with stating the objective truth that people like Gandhi are symbols who will go down in history.
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