Gandhi

2 Pages 451 Words

"Nonviolence in its dynamic condition means conscious suffering. It
does not mean a meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it
means pitting one’s whole soul against the will of the tyrant"
Mohatma Gandhi
"An eye for an eye makes everybody blind" summarizes Gandhi’s view of
violence. That statement is one of the greatest things ever said, and
was borrowed by other world leaders including Martin Luther King Jr.
Gandhi did not believe in violence as a technique of achieving his goal
of an independent India. He preached non-violent non cooperation.
Gandhi considered non-violent non cooperation as requireing more courage
and dedication then violence. Through the methods he used in his
campaign for the Free India he proved the previous statement to be true.
Many people would find "non-violence in its dynamic condition" ironic.
By the word non-violence Gandhi did not mean mere ignorance of the
injustices that came upon his people, He supported active non
cooperation, organizing non-violent marches and other events to protest
the unfairness of the British occupation of India. In the salt marches
Gandhi protested the British monopoly on salt and the salt tax Indians
had to pay. He tried to a provoke violent a response from the colonial
government. Such a response would show him to the world as a victim and
not a tyrant. This approach would expose the British injustice and
would get the world’s public opinion on hGandhi’s side. As a result,
even the English people supported his independence movement.
Gandhi’s non-violent non cooperation required much more bravery and
devotion then violent techniques used by some other Indian independence
leaders. During a march on a salt plant organized by Gandhi, men stood
in line to approach the guards. When they approached, the men stood
defenseless, while the guards beat them with sticks. As the beaten men
were carried away new ones came for...