MAHATMA GANDHI
he most shocking thing compared to Gandhi’s leadership, public speaking, and strength is his childhood-seen from every direction was a disappointment for those who knew him. After years of endless efforts, he could finally wrote, ”If you are afraid to make mistakes, you are too afraid to do anything.”
Born under the name Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, young “Mahatma” (“Courageous”) was considered to be an ordinary boy in everything: regular student who did not have any talent or gift and the youngest boy from the middle caste of a government employee who lived in a small city near the sea. According to local tradition, he got married at the age of 13 with the daughter of his family’s close friend, who described him as a furious, envious, and dominating person.
His unpleasant behavior came from his feeling of timid and lack of self confidence. He went home straight after finished school, was afraid to speak with his classmates because he was afraid that they would mock him. The truth was, he was haunted by many irrational fears and slept with his light on during his teenage years to get rid of the image of snake, thief, and ghost.
Nearly not graduating from high school, he obediently enrolled the local university with unclear ambition to become a doctor. He failed every lecture and went home with embarrassment five months later.
Feeling hopeless, the Gandhis made use of their relations and colleagues. Finally his parents sent him to a school in England to get a license as a lawyer to ensure his success without having a high intellectual skill. Gandhi was expecting for a new beginning and bought a nice European suit to adjust himself with his new environment. When he arrived in London, he became a joke for everyone-stumbled on his own English book and wore white flannel for summer when it was autumn there.
Without having any doubts, he learned to adjust himself quickly. He dressed like a British, bought every clothes that he could find and took French class, danced, played violin, and made speech. However he realized that his limited funds could not support all those luxury, later, he left his hotel and stayed in a small flat that had only space for himself. He walked in streets of London to save some money and changed his meal from expensive British food into vegetarian food. Ironically, his economic condition at that time became the center of his teaching of health and simplicity.
A day after Gandhi graduated and got his license as a lawyer, he went back to his home in India, and learned that his mother died when he was on his way back to India. He tried to overcome his sadness by traveling, this time to Bombay, the place where he tried to work as a lawyer. However his formal education in London made him feel completely useless when he had to deal with the reality of India’s law. When he won a case-a $10 claim- he was afraid to do the crosschecking. Fearfully, and without the courage to speak, he handed over a brief report to his colleague who had more experience and left the courtroom without saying a single word, with the sound of laughter from inside the courtroom in his head.
Once again Gandhi returned home with failure, and his family rescued him once more. This time his brother made us of his connection to give him a job as a regular office worker in a firm in South Africa. He had no other choice, he sailed, leaving his wife and two boys after less than two years staying at home.
Gandhi arrived in South Africa feeling confused. There were no administration work for him, it was more of a book keeping work that required him to analyze years of business transactions that became complicated cases and triggered disagreement. Wherever Gandhi went, it seemed like he was destined to fail.
Not this time; he did a thorough study to overcome his challenge. He felt that his luck remained the same even though he had done many changes to his environment. One thing that remained the same, according to Gandhi, was himself. If he could change his position, location-why could not he change himself? It was a revolutionary thought of a man trying to survive. What he did not realize was that thought also became something revolutionary for his country.
Gandhi studied the details of each case and every book keeping with new will. He was surprised to notice that his own competence and he finally became a well known lawyer who understood that case. More importantly, he began questioning the character of antagonist law cases. He refused to be present at the court just to defend his client’s importance and tried to find a resolution-and especially reconciliation-for both parties. Then, he persuaded both parties to resolve their problems outside the court.
Born under the name Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, young “Mahatma” (“Courageous”) was considered to be an ordinary boy in everything: regular student who did not have any talent or gift and the youngest boy from the middle caste of a government employee who lived in a small city near the sea. According to local tradition, he got married at the age of 13 with the daughter of his family’s close friend, who described him as a furious, envious, and dominating person.
His unpleasant behavior came from his feeling of timid and lack of self confidence. He went home straight after finished school, was afraid to speak with his classmates because he was afraid that they would mock him. The truth was, he was haunted by many irrational fears and slept with his light on during his teenage years to get rid of the image of snake, thief, and ghost.
Nearly not graduating from high school, he obediently enrolled the local university with unclear ambition to become a doctor. He failed every lecture and went home with embarrassment five months later.
Feeling hopeless, the Gandhis made use of their relations and colleagues. Finally his parents sent him to a school in England to get a license as a lawyer to ensure his success without having a high intellectual skill. Gandhi was expecting for a new beginning and bought a nice European suit to adjust himself with his new environment. When he arrived in London, he became a joke for everyone-stumbled on his own English book and wore white flannel for summer when it was autumn there.
Without having any doubts, he learned to adjust himself quickly. He dressed like a British, bought every clothes that he could find and took French class, danced, played violin, and made speech. However he realized that his limited funds could not support all those luxury, later, he left his hotel and stayed in a small flat that had only space for himself. He walked in streets of London to save some money and changed his meal from expensive British food into vegetarian food. Ironically, his economic condition at that time became the center of his teaching of health and simplicity.
A day after Gandhi graduated and got his license as a lawyer, he went back to his home in India, and learned that his mother died when he was on his way back to India. He tried to overcome his sadness by traveling, this time to Bombay, the place where he tried to work as a lawyer. However his formal education in London made him feel completely useless when he had to deal with the reality of India’s law. When he won a case-a $10 claim- he was afraid to do the crosschecking. Fearfully, and without the courage to speak, he handed over a brief report to his colleague who had more experience and left the courtroom without saying a single word, with the sound of laughter from inside the courtroom in his head.
Once again Gandhi returned home with failure, and his family rescued him once more. This time his brother made us of his connection to give him a job as a regular office worker in a firm in South Africa. He had no other choice, he sailed, leaving his wife and two boys after less than two years staying at home.
Gandhi arrived in South Africa feeling confused. There were no administration work for him, it was more of a book keeping work that required him to analyze years of business transactions that became complicated cases and triggered disagreement. Wherever Gandhi went, it seemed like he was destined to fail.
Not this time; he did a thorough study to overcome his challenge. He felt that his luck remained the same even though he had done many changes to his environment. One thing that remained the same, according to Gandhi, was himself. If he could change his position, location-why could not he change himself? It was a revolutionary thought of a man trying to survive. What he did not realize was that thought also became something revolutionary for his country.
Gandhi studied the details of each case and every book keeping with new will. He was surprised to notice that his own competence and he finally became a well known lawyer who understood that case. More importantly, he began questioning the character of antagonist law cases. He refused to be present at the court just to defend his client’s importance and tried to find a resolution-and especially reconciliation-for both parties. Then, he persuaded both parties to resolve their problems outside the court.
He wrote: “I have learned the real law practice. I have learned to discover the better side of human nature and entered their heart.” This finding became the root of Gandhi’s life philosophy. It encouraged him to request an audience with British leaders and to cooperate with them as partners; to establish a stepping stone for the caste, religion, and nationalist members; to preserve his country’s independence and maintained his country’s standard to the highest. His efforts on civil rights and Indian independence along with his faith to love and peace came from this thought: everyone can transform, everyone can change from within, everyone can do something meaningful for good.
No comments:
Post a Comment