One Man's Quest

Just saw a documentary on Spanish TV, on the life of Mohandas Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi (not the film with Ben Kingsley in the title role). I think his name means 'great soul'. The film gives the impression that his life had been a total failure.

Gandhi failed in his career as a lawyer in England. He went to South Africa, where he achieved little in his fight for equality for the South Africans there. Then he went to India to liberate the people from the suppression, in the days of it being the British colony, considered as the 'Jewel of the Crown' of the British Empire. Believing that The Almighty would provide all that was necessary, he endeavoured with nothing more than his conscious effort and sheer dogged willpower, hopeful for reaching his goal, but died believing that he had failed, incapable to materialise his aim for all the brothers to live in peace and harmony.

The confrontations of Hindus and Muslins provoked 500.000 deaths, a bitter dispute still pending today without a solution, especially notable in the region of Cachemire. Gandhi once said: " He who says that politics and religion have nothing to do with one another, does not know what are politics, and less what is religion."

Seeing the record of Gandhi's life and following the various stages of his struggle, I think none efforts in our life too, the good work or action we do, wouldn't end up completely fruitless, even though some intended outcome might not be immediately evident. Because, any act of love towards others produces a reaction, which expands in space and time, creating just and friendly environment and changing hearts.

Steady perseverance in transforming our lives, educate our children with love, do our jobs and duties giving our all, developing our vocation and cooperating the fight for justice in the society, would not go without positive effect. We are imperfect, but we haven't failed. Nor had Mahatma Gandhi.

As bystander looking from outside, we can't say that Mahatma Gandhi had failed. He had not only broken up the structure of suppression of colonisation, but had sown the seed of No Violence which continues germinating today still. He too remains a revered figure of reference.

Tags:mahatmagandhi,documentary

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