Mahatma Gandhi Vs. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Most of us make a basic and reasonable assumption about sanity: we think it produces good results, and we believe insanity is a problem” (13). In today’s society, mental disorders or mental illnesses are often heavily stigmatized. People are viewed as abnormal, unpredictable, and dangerous, or simply written off as “crazy” due to differences in brain chemistry. In early human history, scientists and the general public knew very little about brain health; for instance, for a significant amount of time mental disorders were thought to be caused by evil spirits trapped inside one’s head, or demonic possession. Today, there is much more information available to the public about mental health, and authors are beginning to be more brave about the
are two examples of how depression and other conditions may enhance one’s empathy. Both men dealt with depression, which helped them to better understand the emotions and actions of others during especially difficult times. Gandhi, known for his deep spiritual influence and strong sense of peaceful justice, used his wisdom to help create change: “Gandhi understood the mechanics of empathy so deeply that he could apply it as a strategy. By understanding - and feeling - the mental state of his adversaries, he realized that they could be moved viscerally by the suffering of his people, even when the reason and justice of his people’s cause failed to move them. This psychological insight, born of an extremely pronounced ability to empathize, was also his crucial political innovation” (94). Martin Luther King was also a leader who believed in peaceful protests and the power of empathy. King’s depression helped him realize that people must accept their sadness, suffering, or unhappiness instead of attempting to push it away and internalize the emotions. He was a powerful speaker, appealing to the pathos of a listener, because he himself understood the feeling of being helpless, alone, and at the lowest possible point. King used tactics of nonviolence, and he was able to sense when extreme violence, as used by some of his colleagues, would be too harsh of a strategy. Empathy allows for a healthy balance between radical action and showing
Churchill, although cycling between periods of mania and depression, understood the majority of the time what strategies the government should be using instead of the ones they were actually using. When other government officials believed that Adolf Hitler could be rationally convinced to avoid war, or reasoned with in order to quietly make a compromise, Churchill recognized the threat and began to warn others about the Nazi threats despite disagreement. During times of mania, Churchill also had an increased drive to accomplish tasks such as writing or strategizing: “Churchill inadvertently benefited from his depressive episodes and his manic episodes. Granted with a rare surge of energy, activity, and restlessness, Churchill published 43 books while upholding his duties as acting Prime Minister” (Ye, ibpf.org). This man was realistic in his pessimism, and he used it to provide insight about the world. Abraham Lincoln also suffered from symptoms of depression: poor physical shape, melancholy attitude, and occasional suicidal thoughts. Lincoln was also a superb crisis leader, and when it came to the abolition of slavery, he was conflicted. As a lawyer, he understood that slavery was outlined in the constitution; as a politician, he understood that abolitionist views were spreading across America and becoming popular, and personally he believed that slavery was wrong. In one