The life of Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) has been well-documented. Hundreds of books have been written about his legendary campaigns to end discrimination and uphold the dignity of people irrespective of race, creed (religious or other belief), gender or class. In his eyes, all men and women were created equal, and everyone deserved the same opportunity to develop their personality and intellect to the fullest extent for the purpose of making a contribution to the world..
Over the course of his life, Gandhi not only stood up for the socially marginalized and the poor, but he also spent considerable time thinking about how love could radically transform every element of society from personal relationships to foreign affairs. When Gandhi's profound quotes on love are taken together, they constitute a powerful philosophy of life and true liberty. As such, several of his quotes on love appear below (bold & italics) prior to a bit of commentary on how they relate to our time in the twenty-first century.
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"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave"
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Most people hesitate to some degree - often to a great degree - before they tell another person that they love them. It has been said that there are two good ways of getting rid of someone. The first is asking for money. If that fails, one can say the following three words, "I love you." In virtually every case, that will get the other person to starting heading in the opposite direction very quickly.
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The word love has become such a problem and a politically charged word that some people will not even say the word. Instead, they sometimes refer to it as "The L-Word." In many kinds of relationships, people are terrified at the possibility of having the word love directed at them. As a result, it has been largely relegated to special occasions and carefully concealed.
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This must change. In 2011, the world surpassed seven billion people. How many people might you love out of that number? There is no upper limit. When you come across someone who has touched your life, it is imperative that you have the courage to tell that person that you love them. By sharing the greatest possession you own with that person - love, you inspire that person for life and change the world. Love is not necessarily freighted with gender and/or romantic meanings. It should be expressed freely between all - including men and women.
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"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
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Forgiving someone who has wronged or betrayed you is difficult. It is far easier to hold a grudge and judge that person. There is a problem with refusing to forgive, however. If you are unwilling to forgive, then you cannot ask for forgiveness - and everyone at some point needs forgiveness. By forgiving others, a person liberates two people from despair - the person who made the mistake and the person who was wronged.
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"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and soul of its people"
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Is it easy for a pedestrian to cross the street in your town or city, or do speeding drivers have little regard for people on foot? How is the customer service in the shops and restaurants in your area? When you purchase something, does the clerk greet and make some conversation with you as a person, or does he or she hand you the change without saying much of anything? In the capitalist economy, everything has been radically de-personalized. People often forget that they are serving people, and self-interest all too often comes first.
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It does not have to be this way. If businesses and schools trained their personnel to approach their respective customers and students with compassion and sympathy prior to anything else, life would be more liveable, and the culture of our nations would move toward societies based on genuine respect. Ultimately, the structure of the international economy would have to be altered. Rather than being controlled by the economy (a hectic, often thoughtless exchange of goods and services to make profit), people would have to control the economy and set worldwide standards on reasonable work hours and pay for workers.
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"It may be long before the law of love will be recognized in international affairs. The machineries of government stand between and hide the hearts of one people from those of another."
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Imagine you are in a graduate course entitled "International Relations Theory." The syllabus includes dense readings from several well-known IR (international relations) scholars including works by realists, neo-realists and critical theorists. Now imagine you raise your hand to give your opinion on the first book assigned for class and make the following statement, "You know, this scholarship is interesting to a point, but ought we not simply make love the basis for the world order?" One of two things would likely happen. Either the class and the professor would fall into total silence out of shock, or you would find laughter directed your way.
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Yet, your comment would actually be on the mark. Are not human rights, which are minimum standards of conduct and well-being, based on love and compassion for others? Whether campaigning to end the illegal occupation of Tibet by China or setting up refugee camps with food and shelter for displaced populations from war, these actions are grounded in one spirit and value everyone can understand and recognize - love. When we see people suffering on CNN or BBC, we feel sympathy and demand that something be done by governments to help the victims.
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When human rights become the basis to protect the entire world socially, politically and economically, then the world will have real peace - a peace based on love.
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"Wherever there is love, there is life"
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What could be more true than this statement? Most people live for the weekends. They cannot wait until the quitting bell on Friday afternoon. The acronym TGIF (Thank God Its Friday) is known by everyone, and it represents a universal longing to escape the tasks, duties and politics of the workplace for the environment of the home - where family and friends come together voluntarily to celebrate their relationships with love, laughter and entertainment. Sunday nights are dreaded around the world. Why? It is because the first work day is near. Forty to seventy hours of unrewarding regimentation await far too many people each week. Some exceptions exist. There are teachers who cannot wait to get into the classroom to create a spirit of hope, teamwork, friendship and learning, and some companies promote activities that help employees establish meaningful friendships on the job. Yet, these exceptions are few and far between.
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On a truly civilized planet, love and friendship would not be excluded anywhere. Therefore, it is imperative that the structure of work and the way people work change in the future. Fewer hours, less competition, comprehensive training and a large dose of compassion ought to be the order of the day during our daylight hours. People are always more important than profit.
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"Men can never be a woman's equal in the spirit of selfless service with which nature has endowed her"
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Since the advent of political correctness in the 1990s, it has become quite unfashionable to suggest that men and women are different in any essential respect. While that is true to a large extent, there is at least one distinct difference between them. By and large, most women possess a far greater capacity to nurture than men, and they are always ready to sacrifice their time and energy - out of love - for the people dearest in their lives. These very women are also quick to forgive and slow to judge others. As such, they are models of pure love - Gandhi's love. Gandhi was right. Men lag behind in demonstrating the sacrifice and the discipline of love, and they would do well to listen to and emulate the good women in their lives.
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"I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love."
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This is a genuine expression of selflessness and compassion - and a call to make love and joy the twin cornerstones of our lives.
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Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, people of faith in any religion, agnostics and atheists all believe in a Higher Source. They all believe in love. Love not only exists as a force in time and space but transcends time and space as well. It is a force of good will, caring and adoration that binds human beings and human history together.
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If harnessed to its potential, our nuclear families would dissolve, and we would recognize that we are all related by love in one human family.
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As we are all sisters and brothers in the walk of life, it is up to us to have the courage to express our love to others in order create villages, cities and nations based on good will, fair dealing and respect.
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Does that sound wildly idealistic? If you think so, please consider the following point. The human race has gone from being illiterate cave dwellers to sending people to the moon, surfing the internet and performing advanced medical procedures. How was that accomplished? It was accomplished by a collective tenacity that spanned thousands of years, kept alive by dreams of a better future and inspired by love.
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To push our quest for a compassionate civilization forward, there is one more quote from Gandhi that all of us must adopt as our basis of living,
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"In doing something, do it with love or never do it at all."
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Now, let's get to work.
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(Photo: Mohandas Gandhi)
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J Roquen