Is Gandhi’s principle of non-violence struggle the way foward in the Middle East? Think about it.

Is Gandhi’s principle of non-violence struggle the way foward in the Middle East? Think about it.

In a century marked by brutality, Mahatma Gandhi developed and perfected a method of action based upon the principle of courage, non-violence and through “Satyagraha” (Satyagraha means “holding firmly on to deepest truth and soul force”). He Spent 20 yrs, in Africa fighting system of apartheid. Later when he returned to India, the British were ruling it. Britain was the biggest colonial power and as long as there was dominance, oppression and a struggle for human rights the country would not be free. Resistance was necessary but in the form of ‘ahimsa’ or non-violence struggle (ahimsa means “the love that remains after all thoughts of violence are dispelled” ). It is a whole philosophy of life. This perfected method of bringing about change, turned out (surprisingly) to have more lasting impact.
They formed the basis for civil disobedience and non-violent resistance. “Non-violence is the utmost force at the disposal of mankind”, he said. “It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man”.

Gandhi’s creed entails the following ingredients:
1) Truth: fight your own inner demons, fear and insecurities. Everyone is unique in this world and therefore, one should not compare with others. Be honest with yourself of who you are and what you want. If you think there is something to fix, then fix it. Purifying society required purifying one’s own soul.

Gandhi proposed the following means to pursue Truth:
Non-violent Communication — expressing oneself directly and listening intently to what others have to say. Engaging in compassionate dialogue to build constructive relationships, even with opponents.
Transparency — Being open to oneself as well as to others.
Pluralism — Respect of religions and beliefs other than one’s own.
Conscientization — This is the process of learning to understand oneself and one’s relationships with nature, culture, and power.

2) Non-violence: control your temper and also your thoughts. What we think, we become and therefore if you are always thinking of hurting someone or feeling extremely angry with someone, those are the vibes you'll be giving to others. Best way to be non-violent is to think positive and believe that whatever happens, it is for a good reason. The more you develop non-violence in your being, the more infectious it becomes.

3) Faith: believing that there is someone or something higher than you. You don't need to believe in God, but believing that everyone is equal and you are no less or more than someone else. It knows your values, ethics and morals. Faith is not following others blindly especially when someone else is doing something that your heart says is not right.

4) We must become the change we seek.

5) Simplicity: this doesn't mean foregoing all your desires, but not buying something right away or something you don't really need. Simplicity also means being happy with what you are given and have.

According to Gandhi Stopping and preventing direct violence means the peaceful resolution of conflict and responding to violence with determined non-violent resistance. Gandhi said, “In the age of the atom bomb, unadulterated non-violence is the only force that can confound all the tricks of violence put together.”
Albert Einstein once said “ Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as Gandhi ever in flesh and blood ever walked upon this planet.

The defining aspect of the 20th century has been shaped to a degree not just by powerful politicians and leaders, but also by ordinary folks who civilly disobeyed:
Nelson Mandela organised a campaign in 1952 to defy south Africa’s “pass Laws” by entering white townships; Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus just as Gandhi had on the south African train; the unknown rebel blocking the line of tanks rumbling toward Tianaman’s square; Lech Walesa leading his fellow polish workers out on strike to defy the communist regime; the British suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst launching hunger strikes; American students protesting the Vietnam war by burning their draft cards, and gays and lesbians at Greenwich village stone wall Inn resisting a police raid.
In the end, all these individuals changed the century as much as the men who commanded armies.

I am greatly saddened by the killings in the world. The world looks like hell and nations that are poor and just developing are the most affected. What is the future of the world? Man has forgotten his senses. Examples include the tension in the Middle East where people of the same ethnic race are killing each other and also can be found amongst the Christians. All religions advocate peace but human beings still are at war. Therefore, the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, which comprise of non-violence and truth, should be adhered to. This is utmost important for the present and future generations of today. Non-violence struggle humanizes the truthfulness and genuiness of the peoples' struggle. This releases a strong moral force capable of bringing down anti-peace forces. To cite a recent demonstration of non-violence struggle and its effectiveness: the adoption of non-violence resistance by a small community of BUDRUS (a Palestinian village) forced the Israeli forces to abandon their plan. This occurred peacefully without bloodshed.
In the quest of achieving world peace, especially in the present world, which is confronted with so much violence and terrorism, the principles of non-violence practiced by Gandhi should be seriously looked into.
To achieve a peaceful world through a strategy of non-violence requires a massive effort by the world leaders of today. Lives should be preserved, not destroyed!
I am convinced and sincerely hopeful that the adoption of non-violence principle by the warring factions in the Middle East and other hot spots in the world will contribute to bring about change and peace for all of us.