The power of nonviolence lies in empowering the individual to become "the change we wish to see in the world."
The following is a copy of an essay by Arun Gandhi, grandson of the late great Gandhi:
During the second presidential debate when Governor Bush repeatedly asserted that his foreign policy would be based on "What is good for the United States" and that the US defense budget will be doubled to make the US armed forces the most powerful in the world and that the role of the armed forces is to fight and win wars and not indulge in "nation building" my heart sank to the soles of my feet. Are we still going to bully the world into behaving by threatening violence? Can we win friends by being brutish?Is it not time now for the United States to become a "Hope for Humanity" and help rebuild a world that has for too long languished in ignorance and poverty?
The power of nonviolence lies, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi said, in empowering the individual to become "the change we wish to see in the world."
In a small way my friends and I sought a solution to the vexing problem of population influx into Mumbai (Bombay). The hopelessly poor from nearby villages poured into the city in search of survival. Old solutions of banishing the poor to their fate or allowing them to languish in misery were outdated. Mahipatrao Mohite, a determined social worker, sought answers in Gandhi's nonviolence. Mohite joined us in an attempt to convince some 600 of the poorest living on the sidewalks of Mumbai to help break the cycle of poverty. They originated from a cluster of villages near Sangli, 200 miles south of Mumbai, and had lost all hope. We persuaded them to save a coin every day and build a fund which could be used to help them.
This was almost an impossible challenge but they agreed. In about 18-20 months they collaboratively raised the equivalent of $11,000. This amount was invested in small textile machines to start a factory in Vita village. About 70 contributors went back to their village to operate the factory round the clock so that eventually all the 600 people could enjoy a higher standard of living. They now have four units in four villages and all the 600 poor are living a much more decent and hopeful life. They continued with the habit of saving coins and in 1978 they opened the Sangli Jilla Kamgar Cooperative Bank in Mumbai which now has seven branches and total assets worth about $2 million. This program helped rebuild their self-respect and self-confidence.
For many years my wife, Sunanda, and I have followed this example of saving small every day. At year end when we go to India with our students to study Gandhi's nonviolence in action the humble donation of about $300-$400 goes a long way to help people and institutions in their constructive work.
During the second presidential debate when Governor Bush repeatedly asserted that his foreign policy would be based on "What is good for the United States" and that the US defense budget will be doubled to make the US armed forces the most powerful in the world and that the role of the armed forces is to fight and win wars and not indulge in "nation building" my heart sank to the soles of my feet. Are we still going to bully the world into behaving by threatening violence? Can we win friends by being brutish?Is it not time now for the United States to become a "Hope for Humanity" and help rebuild a world that has for too long languished in ignorance and poverty?
The power of nonviolence lies, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi said, in empowering the individual to become "the change we wish to see in the world."
In a small way my friends and I sought a solution to the vexing problem of population influx into Mumbai (Bombay). The hopelessly poor from nearby villages poured into the city in search of survival. Old solutions of banishing the poor to their fate or allowing them to languish in misery were outdated. Mahipatrao Mohite, a determined social worker, sought answers in Gandhi's nonviolence. Mohite joined us in an attempt to convince some 600 of the poorest living on the sidewalks of Mumbai to help break the cycle of poverty. They originated from a cluster of villages near Sangli, 200 miles south of Mumbai, and had lost all hope. We persuaded them to save a coin every day and build a fund which could be used to help them.
This was almost an impossible challenge but they agreed. In about 18-20 months they collaboratively raised the equivalent of $11,000. This amount was invested in small textile machines to start a factory in Vita village. About 70 contributors went back to their village to operate the factory round the clock so that eventually all the 600 people could enjoy a higher standard of living. They now have four units in four villages and all the 600 poor are living a much more decent and hopeful life. They continued with the habit of saving coins and in 1978 they opened the Sangli Jilla Kamgar Cooperative Bank in Mumbai which now has seven branches and total assets worth about $2 million. This program helped rebuild their self-respect and self-confidence.
For many years my wife, Sunanda, and I have followed this example of saving small every day. At year end when we go to India with our students to study Gandhi's nonviolence in action the humble donation of about $300-$400 goes a long way to help people and institutions in their constructive work.
posted by Ingrid Jones at 10/01/2004
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