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Positive impact of civil disobedience
Positive impact of civil disobedience
Positive impact of civil disobedience
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Everything that you chose to do and say in life has an effect. It’s similar to a chain reaction. For example, if you chose to eat too much, then you’d become ill, if you decided to cheat on a test, then you’d get in trouble. A more important one is that you decided to act violently; you could possibly lose your life or cause an innocent person to be punished. What if your actions caused an entire society to suffer because you're mad at one single human being or the government? Gandhi says the best way to deal with an oppressor, is to be nonviolent and peaceful. By doing so, it’s easier to identify who’s doing wrong in the situation. Although a person’s natural reaction isn’t always peaceful and calm, it’s oftentimes the best reaction. If everyone who felt the need to react violently, reacted that exact way, the world as we know it would be full of chaos. The population would …show more content…
He believed that the peaceful route was the way to go and he was correct. Bye him being peaceful and not reacting to violence even when he wanted to, he was able to change his life and many others. Even though he suffered a lot from the beating and the torture that was brought upon him, he didn't give up and was able to change the government without lifting a finger. Gandhi said “Shower what sufferings you like upon us, we will calmly endure all and not hurt a hair of your body.” Meaning that you can do whatever you want to us but we won't react violently. If they all reacted in anger it could jeopardize innocent people’s lives that have nothing to do with it. It will also make the oppressor want to do more evil upon them for rebelling against his power and wishes. Gandhi saw that the government was doing wrong so instead of trying to take out the government, Gandhi and his followers ignored the government which forced the authorities to have to change. The peaceful route is the more effective route. It may take time but it's a
“ First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” (Mahatma Gandhi). Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar. Throughout his life Gandhi helped those in need. He was taught that everyone and everything is holy. He married at the custom age of 19 and went to London to study law. The thing that helped Gandhi promote nonviolence is that he worked his entire life saying that violence didn’t change the way people acted. He lived his life saying that an eye for an eye only made the whole world blind. Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he had something to prove and everyone else in the world agreed with him.
The mission of Gandhi’s life was to help the people of India free themselves from British rule. Many people have struggled for independence. They have fought bloody battles or used terrorism in an attempt to achieve their goals. Gandhi’s revolution was different. He succeeded as an independence leader with the use of nonviolent methods. The young Mohandas Gandhi did not seem as a boy that would become a great leader. He changed as he studied in Britain and practiced in South Africa. He fought for the rights of Indians in both South Africa and India. Gandhi believed that all people in the world are brothers and sisters. He didn’t hate the English. Actually, he saw a lot that was good about them. His nonviolent means of revolution was referred to as satyagraha, which is a combination of two Sanskrit words, satya, meaning truth and love, plus agraha, meaning firmness. Many people were influenced by satyagraha.
Mohandas Gandhi was a non-violent promoter for Indian independence.He was married young at 13,and went to London to go to law school.Gandhi got his degree there and was on his way to being a lawyer.He went to his first case,but couldn't even speak. Gandhi then got invited to South Africa from a businessman. Gandhi’s luck their was no good either.European racism came to him,after he got kicked off of a train,because he was “colored” and was holding a first class ticket.When Gandhi fought back because of it,was arrested and was sent to jail.After this, he became know as as a leader.Gandhi returned to India in 1896,and he was disgusted by it.British wanted them to wear their clothes,copy their manners,accept their standards of beauty,but Gandhi refused.Gandhi wanted people to live free of all class and wealth.Gandhi tried so hard and was more successful then any other man in India.They won independence in 1947. Gandhi’s non-violent movement worked because,Gandhi used clever planning, mass appeal, conviction, and compassion to win independence for India.
Gandhi once said “An eye for an eye and the whole world is blind.” This is true in most circumstances but there are exceptions. By comparing acts of nonviolent civil disobedience with acts of violent civil disobedience it is apparent that force or violence is only necessary to combat violence but never if it effects the lives of the innocent. A recurrent theme in each of these examples is that there is a genuine desire to achieve equality and liberty. However, one cannot take away the liberties of others in order to gain their own. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that political change would come faster through nonviolent methods and one can not argue his results as many of the Jim Crow laws were repealed. Similarly, through nonviolent resistance Gandhi was able to eventually free India from the rule of Britain. It is true that sometimes the only way to fight violence is through violence, but as is apparent, much can be said of peaceful demonstrations in order to enact change. Thus, it is the responsibility of we as individuals to understand that nonviolence is often a more viable means to an end than violence.
The introduction of civil disobedience reminded the world that it had the option of nonviolence and that negative action did not have to be countered with equally negative reaction. Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” embraced the idea of a man who took action to maintain his morality, even if it meant defying the government. Mahatma Gandhi, in turn, instigated his own act of civil disobedience in the Salt March where he marched across India and collected salt forbidden by British law. Thoreau’s writings on civil disobedience inspired Gandhi’s nonviolent movement, the Salt March, in which he was compelled to take action against a corrupt government.
Having a non-violent way to approach civil engagement helps people rise from the dark. In the article, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” by King Jr., he writes, “So the purpose of the direct action is to create a situation so crises-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation”(236). King Jr. suggests that the only way for Americans to see the need to change is through direct actions and that could possibly get them to negotiate. It related to the article, “from Non-Violent Resistance,” by Gandhi because through a non-violent action, people see the value of actually wanting to create justice. He points out, “Non-violence is the supreme dharma is the proof of this power of love. Non-violence is a dormant state”(Gandhi 316). He refers to all people that if someone gives a person pain, the person receiving the pain should not act back in a harsh attitude, but he/she will win if they show love. However, King Jr. also explains one’s right to express verbally. He writes, “If his repressed emotions do not come out in these nonviolent ways, they will come out in ominous expressions of violence. This is not a threat; it is a fact of history”(MLK 242). It is within the first amendment that all people have the right to free speech in any way, and if people express their emotions in an intimidating way, it is not a threat. Approaching all injustices social issues in
“My ambition is no less than to convert British people through nonviolence and thus make them see the wrong they have done to India.” (Document A, Paragraph Two) Gandhi clearly said he did not want to hurt the Europeans, he believed the Europeans forcing ways of life on the Indians was unjust, but he did not want to respond with any negative emotions. This peaceful approach remained a tactic within the movement because as Gandhi held firm to it, his loyal followers mimicked that as well. Gandhi’s words to Lord Irwin, “I do not intend to hurt a single Englishman.” (Document A, Paragraph One), were proven to be truthful ones when six years later the march at Dharasana occurred. While police begin to beat his followers with steel clubs, Gandhi’s peaceful remained cemented within them all. “Not one of the marchers even raised an arm to fend off the blows.” (Document B, Paragraph
... The other paths are just as evil in their manners as the oppressors. Peace is the underlying goal in the minds of the oppressed and nonviolent resistance is the sensible way of securing an understanding between all people involved. Long-lasting stability will be ensured if oppressors can admit their shortcomings. Peace will also be helped if the oppressed rise to the occasion and show those that have wronged what they have done.
Mohandas K. Gandhi, a great Indian philosopher, wrote the essay “My Faith in Nonviolence”. His essay focuses on the use of nonviolence means on overthrowing the British rule of India. Gandhi’s main claim on this essay is that love is the higher law of life and that “every problem lends itself to solution” (p. 203) , if we followed that law.
Though violence shouldn’t always be your “go-to” solution, in harsh times of oppression it can be morally justified. When pushed to a breaking point, an outburst can be viewed as a turning point that can either make or break your cause. Though there have been instances throughout history where violence led us down a dark road, there have also been instances where it has held a candle up in a dark room so that the path to a better future can be viewed in its full glory.
Gandhi was a well knowledgeable and unique person who found hope in struggles that he never thought would shape who he was. Gandhi was born in a Hindu family, and even though he was the youngest he made a huge impact on others (“Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi” pg 3). He had his older brother who helped him with his education when his father passed away (“Mohandas Gandhi”). Gandhi was very religious even when he was little his brothers tried to make him eat meat (it wasn’t bad to eat meat in Hinduism when you are little), but he refused (“Mohandas Gandhi”). Gandhi respected his religion and was a respectful towards others.
Non-Violence: an Effective Weapon According to the Indian Independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, “Nonviolence is the weapon of the strong.” Many people equate nonviolence with pacifism and believe that violence is the only method with enough power to topple inequality and oppression. However, this is not the case. By the term “nonviolence,” Gandhi did not mean that people should react with passivity and submission.
Consequently, they were willing to accept the punishment for breaking the laws to fight and achieve for a good life. Nonviolence is the weapon for morally and spiritually strong people, and that it is stronger than violence. Gandhi stated, “Non-violence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute” (mkgandhi.org). The path of nonviolence requires for a great amount of courage and a lot of self-sacrifice on the person practicing it to achieve the best goals. As a result, if people understood that nonviolence is the way of life then maybe it would reduce the amount of aggression in people everyday choices.
...e in their times of political oppression and is just one of the many teachings of Gandhi which are evident in the Philippine revolution of 1986. The law of suffering is one of the teachings of Gandhi that was used in the Philippines people revolution which helped their progress. Also faith and Satyagraha are two of the teachings of Gandhi that the people of the Philippines used to fight political oppression and unite the people. If the people of the Philippines would have used violence to fight their oppressive political force the outcome would have not been a peaceful one as it was on those four days of February 1986, in which no lives were lost.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi- 2 October 1869 - 30 January 194 was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He is also known as Mahatma which means “The Great Soul”. He was committed to pacifism, that there should be no violence.(1) He had three concepts to follow in his life for independence of India: Satyagraha, Ahimsa and Swaraj.