Mahatma Gandhi, the man our country calls 'Father of the Nation'. Today the first thing I saw as I switched on my television was a documentary on the life of Gandhiji called 'Mahatma: The Great Soul". It caught my attention right from the beginning. The documentary was 60 min long and I watched it with amazement. It took me decades back into the life of Gandhiji.
There is no doubt that I learnt things I did not know before but I was forced to think upon the two things that have been always associated with Gandhiji, Truth and Non Violence. The two weapons that Gandhiji used to ignite the minds of the people of India and inspire them towards fighting with dignity.
Leave out today, right after independence the people of India forgot these teachings and had sought to fighting and killing innocents in communal riots. Then how can anyone expect these qualities in todays world? I myself am a believer in truth and non violence but there are indeed times when my mind takes over and my heart gives in.
Truth has now become a subjective term. What is the truth for me may not be the truth for you. Things are twisted and turned around before they are brought out in the open. People blindly follow the spoken word without verifying the facts. Then how can I accept what is a truth and what is a lie?
Non violence, love? Do people really understand this anymore? Everywhere you see there is hatred and fights going on. Patience is a lost virtue. Everyone is ready to use their physical strength before they can even try their patience. Non violence is taken as a weakness and a person who resorts to it is thought of as a fool.
How long can one carry on on the path of truth and non violence? Isn't life harsh enough? Aren't people difficult enough? I have experienced getting into trouble after saying a truth. I have experienced being taken as weak because I resort to non violence.
The truth today is the person who tells the truth is despised. The person who doesn't shout out loud and fight is not taken seriously. The world today has become blind, deaf and dumb. They cannot see love, they cannot hear the truth and they cannot speak without violence in their words. And a thought that remains in my mind is Gandhiji would not be very happy today...
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