“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”
― Thomas A. Edison
On the occasion of October 2, the day we observe United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Non-Violence, which coincides with Mahatma Gandhi‘s birthday, I thought I should share a few thoughts about non-violence and how it ties up even with our culinary choices.
Violence could be physical, emotional or even spiritual. We may be victims or the promoters of violence against others especially children and women. And some of us will say, “I have no role to play in non-violence, I am not violent”. Lets examine our lives and do what we can to change for the better, and learn to eschew violence in our lives.
I will echo much of what Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam says in his book “Transcendence”
Is spirituality confined to churches, temples and monasteries, or can a spiritual approach be taken in day-to-day life, and can it be a formula for worldly living? Many of us, young people, ask this question. We have the answer in the example of Mahatma Gandhi, who made the Indian freedom movement a spiritual pursuit of ordinary people. He waged a non-violent campaign against a mighty empire, which is unique in the history of humanity.
Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam remarks, “I, like many others, have practiced non-violence throughout my life, and express it by not eating any form of meat”
Non-violence is liberating, because in each and every moment that it suffuses one’s mind, the mind feels compassion, identification, and empathy with other beings. Gandhi did not make the facile division of mankind into ‘good’ and ‘bad’. He was convinced that every human being-even the ‘enemy’-had a kernel of decency: there were only evil acts, no wholly evil men. His method was designed not to coerce the opponent, but to set into motion forces, which could lead to his conversion. Relying as it did on persuasion and compromise, his methods were not always quick in producing results, but results were likely to be more durable for having been brought about peacefully. “It is my firm conviction,’ Gandhi affirmed, ‘that nothing enduring can be built upon violence.’
Gandhi did not think it possible to bring about radicle changes in the structure of society overnight. Nor did he succumb to the illusion that the road to new order of things could be paved merely with pious wishes and fine words. And it was unsatisfactory to blame the opponent or bewail the times in which one’s lot was cast. However, heavy the odds, it was one’s duty never to feel helpless. The least he could do was to make a beginning- with himself.
If he were crusading for a new deal for peasantry, the Mahatma would go to a village and live there. If he wanted to bring peace to a disturbed district, he would walk through it, entering into minds and hearts of those who were going through the ordeal. If an age-old evil like untouchability was to be fought, what could be a more effective symbol of defiance for a reformer than to adopt an untouchable child? If the object was to challenge foreign rule, why not act on the assumption that the country was already free, ignore the alien government and build alternative institutions to harness the spontaneous, constructive and cooperative effort of the people? If the goal was world peace, why not begin today by acting peacefully towards your immediate neighbour, going more than halfway to understanding him, and win him over?
This is the true essence of non-violence. Everything you do has an impact on other people, on the planet and on animals with whom you share the world. Living non-violence as a way of life involves making the right connections. It involves making the right choices so that your actions align with your moral values. Nearly all of the problems in the world stem from the fact that people have forgotten who they really are. Non- Violence offers direction, so you can remember whom you are and act in a reconnected way. It is a win-win way of living.
You may interested in reading this,“If you eat animals…you do not…love them”
You can also watch biographical dramatization of Gandhi’s life by watching , Gandhi(1982), the movie.
Lets observe the 2nd of October, in honour of Mahatma Gandhi and the non-violence way of living by abstaining from flesh.
