Gandhi Essay

Gandhi: The Father of a Nation

“Nearly everything you do is of no importance, but it is important that you do it.” -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Gandhi is known internationally and by all ages, whether old or young, for his practically one-handed defeat of the powerful British Empire. Mohandas Gandhi, often called Mahatma, a name meaning reverence or loving respect and more specifically Great Soul, or Bapu, meaning father, was born on October 2, 1869 and assassinated on January 30, 1948, at about 77-78 years of age. Mahatma Gandhi is well known for his fighting for the civil rights of Muslim and Hindu Indians in South Africa and India. By using the techniques of non-violent civil disobedience and non-cooperation that he developed, he was successful in both places. One of his quotes that most intrigues me is, “Nearly everything you do is of no importance, but it is important that you do it.” I selected this quote because it seemed to mean one thing but really another. At first glance, it seems that Gandhi is saying that nothing you do is of great importance, but what I think he really means to say that no matter what you think is important, it is important that you do it because no matter its importance, it has a huge impact on what goes on in the future. I think this defines Gandhi because it shows how a simple choice or idea or decision can impact lives. Because Gandhi decided that it was unjust for Indians to be discriminated in South Africa and because he decided that he would not stand for India to be ruled by people who did not understand her intricacies and twists and turns, who was slowly killing the people and the land, he greatly impacted his future and the futures of others. What seemed to be a small decision at the time became a struggle against unjust laws and caused many changes for Gandhi, South Africa, India, and the whole world.
Gandhi’s life and this quote has impacted my life because it has showed me that everything that I do and everything that results from what I have done can and will change my future and the future of others, albeit in small and sometimes unnoticeable ways. It’s like a stone that has been dropped into a clear, calm pond that sends ripples through it. The pond is like the future, uncertain and unknowable. Every stone dropped is a decision made, a word said, a choice made that affects everyone else in some way. Gandhi’s life has impacted mine because it shows me that even though I sometimes feel that some things are impossible to change, they can be changed by peacefulness, non-violence, patience, and belief in the people that support and surround you. Gandhi has left an irreplaceable, inimitable, incomparable legacy for the rest of the world to follow. He has shown us that war is not the answer, and that we can defeat tyrants, dictators, and unjust governments by civil disobedience, non-cooperation, and non-violence. He saw that war would not, could not, make the British leave India or South Africa; it would only cause death and destruction, and would cause the people to lose heart for they could not possibly best the incredible odds and number of British soldiers that would surely come and destroy the people and land. Gandhi once said that he was prepared to die, but there was no cause for which he was prepared to kill. He also once said that he objected to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. In summary, Gandhi was a truly remarkable man. It was once said by Albert Einstein that in “generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.” It was rightly said as Gandhi has showed us a peaceful, non-violent way to freedom and a new more selfless way to live. He preserved through all the challenges the world and the British in particular sent his way, he always believed that non-violence was the way to freedom, and he always had the courage to push past the fear that had to be lurking there and lead his people to freedom. Gandhi is truly a great soul that shall never be replicated.