As the world limps on through an unending torrent of bloodshed and pain, it would perhaps behoove us all to think about what this date is the anniversary of.
One hundred and two years ago, on this very date, a man named Mohandas K. Gandhi organized the first of many efforts at non-violent civil resistance. His efforts ultimately led to a huge increase in peaceful relations between ethnic groups in South Africa, a movement which subsequently helped to inspire the more recent anti-apartheid movement.
Gandhi then went on to inspire millions of people to lay down arms, believe in the power of peace and “be the change you wish to see in the world”.
Gandhi inspired three hundred million people to work for a lasting peace and a better life in a non-violent way.
What this world needs is another twenty Gandhis.
I say this not to discount the horror inflicted on America five years ago, but in response to the far greater horror which the United States and others have inflicted upon far-flung nations in the name of revenge for an act not perpetrated by those nations.
Perhaps we should be celebrating Gandhi Day on this date, rather than the cringeworthily jingoistic Patriot Day.
Perhaps if we did, three thousand lost lives might ultimately find their meaning in a greater good rather than an increasing spiral of evil.
So here’s my thought for the day: What Would Gandhi Do?
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