Call him Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, just Gandhi or Bapu, he is undoubtedly the greatest political figure in the modern Indian history.
The fond Father of our great nation has not only fetched India its freedom but has also weaved all the Indians as one united nation with his non-violent movements for civil rights and freedom from the British rule.
He had an exceptional approach to fight for the rights of the people.
His autobiography, ‘My Experiments with Truth’, gives a detailed insight into his life from the time he was a child to the time he gave India a strong foundation to build its future upon.
Here are the top lessons that every Indian should learn from Gandhi’s life:
We become what we believe
Gandhi said:
WE ARE THE EXPRESSION OF OUR OWN THOUGHTS.
Which means that if we think we will fail and will not reach our goal then our own definition of success can never be realized.
Our thoughts shape our character and, therefore, we become what we think.
Never give up
In his quest for freedom, Gandhi was imprisoned several times but he kept fighting until be saw the dawn of a newly independent India.
In the same way, we should persistently pursue whatever goals we have set for ourselves until we reach our intended destination and achieve them completely.
Actions define priorities
If the goal in our life is very important and we are not taking any step to complete or fulfill that goal then we need to reassess our priorities.
Reward of a well-done work is to get it done.
Mahatma Gandhi was a man of the highest character. He didn’t employ any method to achieve independence that was against his conscience. Hus ethics ruled over his actions and he believed that a work is only done well when it is done the way it should be. Without any crimes, breach of conducts or excuses.
An honest ‘No’ is better than a false ‘Yes’
People often say ‘Yes’ instead of ‘No’ out of compulsion or simply to appease the other. Gandhi said:
SAYING A YES WHEN YOU ACTUALLY DO NOT MEAN IT CAN LEAD YOU NOWHERE. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT CREATES ADRIFT, INDIGNATION AND UMBRAGE AMONGST THE PEOPLE WHOM YOU HAVE BEEN CLOSED ONCE. SO, A YES MUST ALWAYS BE EXPRESSED WITH A STRONG CONVICTION.
Peace is within and not affected by outside circumstances
Do we really seek peace within ourselves? The answer will, most probably, be ‘No’ because we have defined peace by external and delusive factors. We meet someone for the first time and his opinion matters to us so much that our confidence pulverizes. Instead, we should try to do introspection and listen to our inner voice and find peace within unaffected by outside forces.
Happiness is anything done with harmony
Happiness and harmony in today’s world are superlative. Living in harmony is something that we can achieve and it is something that is composed of our values.
Gandhi concluded:
Only when our thoughts, actions, and words are balanced and connected to each other, can we achieve true harmony.
Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong
To forgive the person who has hurt you once is not easy. It takes great courage to exonerate and move ahead in life. But he who is able to do so is truly a man of greater and stronger values.
Brain over Brawn
A man with a strong will can literally move mountains even if he may not be a Hercules. It is always your thinking and determination that matters. Physical strength can only be utilized when it is wised well. An example is Gandhi himself: being a man of leanest caricature he made the entire British empire vanquished and fly away from the Indian subcontinent.
Be the change
Gandhi said:
BEFORE WE EXPECT TO SEE OUR DESIRED QUALITIES IN OTHERS, WE SHOULD ASSIMILATE THEM IN OURSELVES.
Anything that we want to differ starts from our own sleeves. If we want to correct a thing, we first must incorporate that within our own selves.
We all are wonderful and extremely beautiful from the inside and the more we will see the same thing in others, we shall get the same in return.
So we all should be loving and kind towards each other and what comes back is a wonderful world where every human life with peace, harmony, and dignity.
