Freeconomy Blog
Thu
22 Jan
Who inspires you?
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One of the great inspirations in my life, as most of you have probably guessed by now, is the Mahatma Gandhi, the little man in a loincloth that forced the entire British army out of India through entirely peaceful means.
Though I try to read something of his writings every day, it is around this time of year that my thoughts fix firmly on his life, his works and what he stood for, in an attempt to try and apply his universal and timeless philosophy to the problems that the world faces today. He was assassinated on the 30th Jan 1948. I wonder what he would think of the world today?
In honour of 'the Great Soul', I thought I should share with you the main pillars of his philosophy, what he considered vows, and what he strived to live out in action every day. To Gandhi there was no gaping hole between belief and action, between what he said and what he did, between heart and head and hand; to him they were exactly the same thing. So it is probably fitting that I start with the vow that enabled him to live exactly as he believed -
1. Fearlessness:
Gandhi believed that fearlessness is the first requisite of spirituality, and that cowards can never be moral. Being the change you want to see in the world will always require huge amounts of courage, especially in this modern world we find ourselves in. If we do want to be that change, it involves standing up for it against all odds, whether you be part of a majority of millions or a minority of one, and to preach and practice it at any cost, unflinchingly.
The strength to change things, he said, “does not come from physical capacity, but from an indomitable will”. Teaching yourself self-control is the method to achieve that indomitable will and the resulting fearlessness.
2. Non-stealing:
This didn't just mean not going into your local shop and leaving with a bag of products without paying. Of course that was a part of it, but it was its least expression. To Gandhi this meant not holding onto something that you do not need whilst somebody else needed it. I describe it like this, as hard as I find it to deal with – if I have £1,000 in the bank, and a child dies anywhere in the world, as one every two seconds does, because of a lack of basic needs such as food and clean water, do I not have a part to play in that child's death? Of course I cannot help everyone, but should I at least help those I can, even if it is only one.
But I think the ideal is to not actually take part in the political and economic system that causes such poverty in the first place.
3. Ahimsa:
This means non-violence, but not in the sense that most of us would initially assume. To Bapu (what the people of India called him, an affectionate term meaning 'Father'), this didn't just mean physical violence; it meant non-violence in thought, in speech or in action. If anything, non-violence in thought was probably what he considered most important, as the other two stem from it.
But again he saw fearlessness being at the heart of it. He said, to paraphrase, “Non-violence should never be used as a shield for cowardice. It is a weapon for the brave. I can imagine a fully armed man to be at heart a coward. Possession of arms implies an element of fear, if not cowardice. But true non-violence is an impossibility without the possession of unadulterated fearlessness.
4. Satyagraha:
I suppose Satyagraha directly means 'love-force' or 'Truth-force'. It's practicioner, the Satyagrahi, stands up for Truth and justice at the cost of even her or his own life if necessary.
I know many people who call themselves environmentalists, peace activists, human and animal rights activists, yet who still consume products that come from war, such as oil and plastics, that are completely damaging to the environment and that indirectly (a misnomer which really means directly) hurt both humans and animals. They put their own least interests over the most important interests of the people, the animals and the environment that unwillingly pay the real cost of the cheap goods we consume.
The reason there is so much environmental destruction, so much hatred and violence, so much war, is because the soldier of Peace, the Satyagrahi, has long become less brave than the soldier of War. Stand up for peace through your actions, or stop talking about it.
5. Swadeshi:
Swadeshi has no easy translation, but what it refers to is local economy – to only consume goods and services made in your own country. It also implies a duty to your neighbour, who you should support before looking any further afield.
Gandhi did not live in the consumerist world we live in today, so when he named this concept he did so with respect to achieving complete independence from India. Given the state of the natural environment today though I feel I can safely say he would see this as of crucial importance to issues such as peak oil, climate change and peace.
As a mark of respect, I intend to fast for the day on the 30th Jan. Fasting was something Gandhi used to great effect in his life, on some occasions fasting until the death unless the fighting between Muslims and Hindus stopped; it always did, such was the love that the majority of both sides had for the man.
Gandhi always said though that you can never fast against what the masses would call 'your enemy'. It can only be resorted to against those whom you love and who claim to love you, and never with the aim of extorting rights, but instead only to reform. Therefore do not fast for Gordon Brown to pull out of Iraq; fast so that your friends and family stop consuming the products that only cheap oil from Iraq makes possible.
So on the 61st anniversary of his death I plan on fasting to apologise for my part in the state of the world today, to ask questions of myself on how I can best be of service to the world and to empathise with those who cannot eat, not out of choice, but because of the economic policies of us in the west.
Sometimes I feel myself hoping that a person like that will be born into the world again, with the vision, courage, unshakable ethics and personality to awaken us from the zombie like state that we are at our most destructive in. Then other times I wonder if we are the ones we have been waiting for. If not you, then who? If not now, then when?
Who is your inspiration in life? Please leave a comment below telling us who inspired you, why they inspired you and what you believe there main teaching or gift to the world was. Or if you have any favourite quotes from Gandhi please add them here also.
THE FREECONOMY BLOG is written by Mark Boyle, founder of The Freeconomy Community. If you want to respond, debate or ask questions, please just comment below; you will have to sign in first.
Comment on this Post:
Treavor comments ...
I would have to say Alan Watts. Tracy (girlfriend) was the one that initially discovered him. The animated short video Music and Life (animated by trey parker and matt stone/narrated by alan watts) was one of the first things to start opening our eyes. It really made me stop and think about life. We have only scratched the surface of what we could be taught, but truly inspiring.
Sasha comments ...
I am inspired by Thoreau and Tolstoy.
This is my favorite Tolstoy quote:
"I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means - except by getting off his back."
Leo Tolstoy
Lisa comments ...
I can't say it was anyone well known that inspired me. In fact it was all the people that I have met in the last two years who are working so hard and care so much about the world around them. From a group of anrachists that I found myself living with one day (I didn't even know what anarchy meant when I moved in) to meeting yourself Mark and having a wonderful conversation and seeing the things you are doing. I find them all inspiring.
Keep up the good work everyone!
Peace, love and laughter xxx
Fergus comments ...
I agree with Lisa and Sasha.
I love inspiring short stories and Tolstoy's are wonderful. A good example from my favourite book : Twenty Three Tales by Leo Tolstoy is this one, How Much Land Does A man Need?
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/tolstoy/23_tales.vii.iii.html
Go on Mark, have a read, then you can get some of that willow you mentioned and flog yourself in punishment for possessing such a grand palatial caravan!
Fergus x
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