Mahatma Gandhi and You on his birthday

Ask yourselves every day – do my words and actions bring solutions?  If they do, then you deserve to be congratulated, if they don’t, would you like to make a sincere effort? 
There is an immeasurable joy in doing good to fellow beings with no gains to be had. Try it; you will start enjoying the life.

Mahatma Gandhi could have led the life of luxury, he was a lawyer educated in England and worked for a big firm and had all the resources available to him, yet he chose to lead a simple life.  He realized early on that none of the wealth goes with you; it is simply your duty to do good. Think about it, indeed, it is the good we do that brings relief, salvation, mukti, moksha, nijaat and nirvana to our own self.

In Hinduism, there is a great aspiration for one – to become Brahma, simply meaning to become a part of the whole and not have barriers between you and the other. It is a formula for building cohesive conflict-less society.  A similar call is made by all religious teachings including Islam and Christianity.

Pictures - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157627813362862/show/

The first step in embracing the humanity was to strip one’s ego and become a simple human where the masses can relate with you.  He chose the simplest form of clothing and earned the friendship of the Indians at large.  Didn’t all the spiritual masters live a simple life?

It is this aspect of “relating” with people and his compelling ideas that became a source of inspiration to Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela and several other great souls who successfully brought a change through the strength to peace to the world at large.

Mahatma Gandhi is one of the five humans on the planet who has impacted my life profoundly. He was a messenger of peace; his language nourished reconciliation, and his actions encouraged co-existence. Whether it is the conflict between Hindus or Muslims or with the British Raj, his words mitigated conflicts and directed one's thoughts and actions towards solutions. Throughout the year, I reflect on his work and most certainly on his birthday and on his death anniversary, I write a note about him as my tribute to the great soul, the Mahatma.  

He was one of the most powerful leaders we have had in the last two centuries. He did not want anything for himself, nor did he want to control anything or lead any one. All he wanted to do was create a society of mutual respect and co-existence. Everyone always wonders how did he get to make people listen to his message of non-violence? The answer is simple; People knew, he gained nothing from what he does, but instead they gained from his effort. Indeed, those who are un-selfish have invincible moral strength.

Nothing frightens them or cows them down. You will find the same commitment and moral strength in Moses, Jesus, Krishna, Rama, Buddha, Zoroaster, Mahavira, Confucius, Nanak, Baha'u'llah, Mother Teresa and so many other great souls. Muhammad is my other mentor who had all the power on the earth during his life time but lived a simple life, and told his own daughter that she ain't going to get a free pass to God, she has to earn it by doing good deeds, i.e., doing things for other's good. Every one of the above teacher's strength lie in one simple thing: Their sense of justice was strong as a mountain and they were absolutely un-selfish.

Mahatma Gandhi's non-Violence movement is a model that will last for centuries to come. Every great teacher listed above has taught the same message over and over again. The idea is that there is a balance of energy in every human, doing bad things deflates that energy and doing good things recoups it. You may have experienced the elated feeling of having a great day, when you helped someone in dire need.

Non-Violence is a belief that the tyrant is blessed with the same energy, but is not aware of it and we have to help him realize it after enduring the suffering. Fighting out may bear the result for short run, but in the long run, the fighting and the avenging continues. Whereas the non-violence method of achieving the objective is sustainable, justice ultimately brings lasting peace, and non-violence sustains it, violence disturbs the balance.

I have a special connection with the Mahatma, and am making this disclosure for the 3^rd time in public. I have met the Mahatma twice in my dreams; first time was way back in 1971 when the Mahatma, the Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University Dr. Narsimaiah and I were talking over a meal and he gave a pat on my back and told me that I have a lot of work to do. Then again in 2005, I saw him smiling at me encouraging me to continue with the work of Pluralism.

My message on this day is watch what you say; does it aggravate the ongoing dialogue and cause the opposing parties dig in? Or does it propel people to work towards solutions. You can apply this formula at your work, home or any situation and see the difference. Be a winner, by making the others a winner too.

Mahatma Gandhi probably would have endorsed my view that, if we can learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness to each one of seven billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. That is the mission of the foundation for pluralism.

Today, October 2nd is Mahatma's birthday, may this day make our leaders think, and believe that there is a greater joy in creating peace.  Ask yourselves every day – do my words and action bring solutions? There is an immeasurable joy in doing good, good for others with nothing to gain. Try it; you will start enjoying the life.

If you have a few spare minutes, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pzkSOulo0Q&feature=player_embedded#! 

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Politics, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace. Over a thousand articles have been published on the topics and two of his books are poised to be released on Pluralism and Islam. Mike's work is reflected in 4 website's and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/ and you can find all of his current articles at www.TheGhousediary.com

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Below is the text pulled from different sources

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was born on October 2, 1869, died as the Mahatma on January 30, 1948. The man who came to be regarded as the symbol of independent India was greatly revered by his own countrymen. Indians came to call him Mahatma or "the Great Soul." A large number of famous Gandhi quotes contain so much wisdom that they have gained immortality. These famous Gandhi quotes reveal the wisdom of this great man.

Gandhi, the pioneer of non-violence, believed in simplicity. His simple attire became a subject of great contemplation and ridicule in western nations. His compelling ideas braved death and continued to be a source of inspiration and emulation for great leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Nelson Mandela. Here are some famous words from Gandhi.

·         The power of tyrant depends on the willingness of people to obey; if people refuse to obey at whatever cost, the tyrant’s power is ended.

·         Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

·         Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.

·         A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.

·         A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.

·         A religion that takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them is no religion.

·         Adaptability is not imitation. It means power of resistance and assimilation.

·         Anger and intolerance are the twin enemies of correct understanding.

·         You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.

·         Culture of the mind must be subservient to the heart.

·         It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.

·         Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

·         The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

·         An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

·         Hate the sin, love the sinner.

·         I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.

·         Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.

·         Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.

·         Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

·         Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence.

·         The name "Gandhi" is synonymous with peace and non-violence. His epic struggle to bring together the people of India in their search for sovereignty is unparalleled.