Wisdom for our times
I
am often times astounded, when I bring up the subject of M.K. Gandhi,
how few people know who he was or what he accomplished in his lifetime.
Our children are taught about the great war heroes of history, yet very
few are edcated about the life and work of the great peacemakers, of
whom Gandhi was one of the greatest.
Easwaran tells the story of Gandhi from the time he was a boy,
detailing his transformation from a cowardly young man into one of the
greatest spiritual and political figures ever to grace this earth.
Gandhi managed to turn all of India upside down by gathering together
millions of followers who pledged to abide by his principles of
nonviolence in a sucessful effort to end the British colonial rule.
Gandhi the Man tells the story of Gandhi's role in the independence of
India; however what is perhaps most valuable about this book is the
detailed look at how Gandhi evolved spiritually into a man who was so
infused with love that he died with a prayer for his assasin on his
lips.
Gandhi himself said that anyone could accomplish what he accomplished
spiritually , if one is willing to discipline oneself. Gandhi the Man
is a valuable tool to that end.
If I were queen of the world, I would make sure that every person on earth
was given a copy of this book. Perhaps then we would be more able to
put an end to the insanity of war that pervades our planet at this
time. For a brief period in history, nonviolence reigned in one country
of the world. If it could happen once, then with a broad new
understanding of Gandhian principles, surely it can happen again.
