"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always.""What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?"
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
"There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."
Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the assassination of Mohandas K. Gandhi (October 2, 1869–January 30, 1948). H/t to the cartoon strip Mythtickle for the reminder. The photo and quotes above come via Wikipedia.
As a high school student who piously took "thou shalt not kill" as an absolute command, I was drawn to Martin Luther King, Jr., and the teachings of Mahātmā ("great soul") Gāndhī, along with the writings of Leo Tolstoy. My admiration for Gandhi has not diminished over the years.
Gandhi retains the moral force that is lost when nations and movements seek to enforce their values by force. Do I need to point out that the "winning hearts and minds" part of spreading democracy has been, shall we say, missing of late?
UPDATE:
Grandmère Mimi has some other great quotes from Gandhi. Check them out here.
--the BB
--the BB
6 comments:
Paul, thanks for this. And Gandhi's only weapons were truth, love, and a determination to remain non-violent. And he won, thus demonstrating the power of powerlessness.
The crew in office, the Bush maladministration, have no clue about "winning hearts and minds".
WORST PRESIDENT EVER!
This is a great post and I thank you.
My heart breaks today so that reminder that truth and love always win is much needed today.
Paul, how is it that I've never visited you before? Anyway, thank you for this post. There's nothing quite like that first quote for kick-starting one's heart.
I like your baby picture, btw. Heh heh.
It takes time to discover all the fun places out there on the tubes, PJ, but I'm delighted you found your way here today. I have not visited your site often enough.
How cool to have a dad who can spout Chaucer and Latin! No wonder you wound up writing. Best wishes on that. I'm working my way into revising my first novel so I can feel good about trying to get it published. Agh, the horrors that await me!
Congratulations on having written a novel. Most people never make it that far. All I've got is a stack of unpublished short stories, myself. Of course I'd have a better chance of being published if I ever sent the stories out. Fear = the enemy of creativity.
I know about the fear part, pj. Actually, I have outlines, drafts, and ideas for an entire series (begun in the 70s then left to simmer for over thirty years).
Putting ourselves out there for the agents and editors is far harder than writing, methinks.
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