Gandhi and Dr. King: the avatars of peace

Peace through nonviolent resistance – this is, perhaps, the most elusive goal in the history of mankind. More noble in nature than the quest for the Holy Grail or the Fountain of Youth, and far more beneficial a cause than the quest for the fabled City of Cibola.

Few human beings have achieved this goal in so profound a way as Mahatma Gandhi. Such was Gandhiji’s (The Gandhi’s) influence on political thinkers of our time that our own civil rights movement was largely shaped by his ideas in the form of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Both men adopted and adhered to a strict policy of nonviolence. They believed in ordered social change accomplished by civil disobedience.  “Civil” meaning they were against laws that were unjust while also demonstrating against those who oppressed them in the name of “justice.” No violent riots, no looting, nor rampant destruction. Simply peaceful dissent and refusal to comply with injustice.

King and Gandhi advocated that at some point you must say, “This far and no further!” Then you must also understand that there will be no violent retaliation and no offer of violence nor harm. You must be prepared to suffer for your cause. You will be beaten, incarcerated, and abused.

A well-defined goal and achievable results are what both men shared, apart from their commitment to peaceful resistance. Neither advocated revolution without a plan. They worked to give the people more than hope, to give them a solid plan of action before offering change. Both ultimately lost their lives before they saw their visions fully realized; however, both believed that they served a cause they deemed to be worthy of their lives.

Through their noble endeavors, they have shaped the lives of billions and the world in which we live. The voice of Peace is growing louder, arguably aided the most by education of the masses and the living arts.

When you stand peacefully against a world of violence, you cannot but be noticed. These men and countless others will continue to live on as long as the truth of peaceful adherence to rightness is maintained.

One of the most forgotten things from the minds of many Americans is the inherent spirituality of these men. King was a reverend, and more importantly, a sincere imitator of all the truly beneficent claims of Christ. The Mahatma, a devout Hindu, was called “Great Soul,” as much for his spiritual achievements as he was for his political ones.

In the 1920s, Gandhiji posed his “Seven Social Evils” – almost an analog to the Seven Deadly Sins of Christianity – and they remain excruciatingly applicable today.

1. Politics without Principles

2. Wealth without Work

3. Commerce without Morality

4. Education without Character

5. Pleasure without Conscience

6. Science without Humanity

7. Worship without Sacrifice

By pursuing such practical goals peacefully rather than seeking some lofty esoteric paradise through war mankind can, perchance, finally find redemption and respite from eons of suffering and death.

Will you stand for Peace for our time?