Swathi Deivamani

Coach Schnell
English 1 Pre-AP
5/5/2015
Non-Violence A powerful, relevant Principle of Gandhi for all times.
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the
strong."(Gandhi). "An eye for eye only ends up making the whole World
blind.(Gandhi). These words of Mahatma Gandhi, spoken years ago, still
influence peoples act today. These words in a nutshell serve to call upon humans
to forgive each other and understand. It emphasizes on practicing Non-violence.
No matter where we live, our cultural, religious and political differences should
not invoke conflicts that can bring sorrow and destruction to the World. The
relevance of Gandhis principles in the 21st century depicts the strong personality
of Gandhi who practiced nonviolence and forgiveness even under challenging
circumstances. In other words Gandhi stands in the world as an embodiment of
forgiveness and nonviolence.
Fighting evil with evil wont help anyone. We have to realize that forgiving
and letting go of the past will do us and the people in our world a great service. If
we dont forgive then we let the past and another person to control how we feel.

Gandhis strong beliefs concerning peaceful wars convinced him to write a letter
to Hitler amidst the Holocaust, at the peak of the Nazi reign. (Dhadda).
Unfortunately, the letter never reached Hitler, as the British intercepted the
posting, unwilling to settle the war in a peaceful way. For Gandhi to write such a
letter, addressing Hitler as a friend and signing off as I remain, your sincere
friend, simply shows Gandhis incredible ability to forgive. (Karamchand 45).
Gandhi's advice to Hitler was persuasive. He wrote two letters to Hitler dated July
23, 1939 and December 24, 1940. In both the letters he addressed Hitler as, Dear
Friend. The letters condemned Hitler's action as "monstrous" and preached to
practice nonviolence.
The Principle of nonviolence rejects the use of physical violence to achieve
social or political change. Gandhi advocated peace, persuasion and perseverance
for attainment of peace and love for harmony. He always believed that a nation
built on the foundation of non-violence would be able to withstand attacks on its
integrity. He won the war of Indian independence by nonviolence. Violence is
unnatural, a learned behavior. If violence is human nature, then we wouldnt have
martial arts institutes and military schools to teach us how to kill. It is important
that people re-think and consider Gandhis teachings. It is a difficult path to walk,
but it gives peace and contentment to all. It is really important that we get

together as a world and cooperate with each other. It will not be easy. There will
always be conflicts and arguments. But we shouldnt spend time solving these
conflicts and arguments with violence. Instead we should use the quiet method of
negotiating and agreeing on things.
In the 21st century Gandhis name transcends the bounds of race, religion
and nation-states. He is remembered for his passionate adherence to the practice
of nonviolence and his supreme humanism. The principle of Non-violence is
always relevant at all times because it is the natural response of any civilized
human being. In his memory and honor, International Day of Nonviolence is
observed Worldwide on October 02. The UN General assembly came up with a
resolution in 2007 to establish the International Day of nonviolence. (Kalvala).
Gandhi has successfully demonstrated to a world, weary with wars and continuing
destruction, that adherence to Truth and Nonviolence is not meant for individual
behavior alone but can be applied in global affairs too. Gandhis ideas are relevant
to us even in the 21st century because they ultimately motivate us to end wars
and fight for peace. They are relevant in helping us understand ourselves and they
should guideline us into a safer, calmer world.
Are Gandhis Principles and teaching relevant today? Yes, they certainly are
because a lot of people in the world follow his Principles and teachings and

therefore are inspired by him. We all should apply these principles in our
everyday life and fight for the end of nuclear weapons, war itself, poverty, racism,
hunger, environmental destruction, homelessness and violence of any kind.