Positively resolving war.......

In spite of the havoc caused by wars across the ages, man has never really learnt to mend his ways. Take the recent example of Iraq. What did the ordinary people of Iraq gain from the war? They are left with nothing, except hurt, hunger, homelessness and a destroyed psyche. Even if we look at history, neither of the two world wars actually benefited humanity. While the Jews were liberated, the Gaza strip remains a battleground even today. Yet, every day, war-like situations arise in a lot of countries. In such a so-called new age world, it is necessary for us to look for another way. We need to look at life not through racist or prejudiced eyes, but with a compassionate gaze.

Wars arise due to a lot of reasons, which are often debated long after the war is over. But the most important thing for us to realize is that it does not matter what caused the war or for what reasons it is being waged, but to fathom what impact it has on the people. How does a mother feel who lost her child in war? How does a baby adjust to his newfound-orphaned state? These and many other questions are never really answered, or rather; no one really cares about them unless he is himself in such a situation. With the way we are progressing, it will not be surprising if tomorrow, most of us have to deal with the trauma of war.

But there have been instances where individuals have come out of this trap and really made a difference to our worldview.

A very prominent example exists in India. The british ruled the country for decades and no one really did a thing. But thanks to a man called Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, or bapu, as he was called, India is a free nation.
What did this man single handedly do to change the situation, and that too without using even a single weapon? What were his tools and his ideals? He only used ahimsa (compassionate non-violence) and surprisingly, it worked really well. This does not mean that if someone comes to kill you or someone close to you, you just stand and watch. You have the right to defend yourself. But to kill unnecessarily and without reason or to attack the weak is totally immoral. Bapu taught Indians to have pride in themselves. He helped them realize that 300 million Indians are much stronger than 100000 Britishers. He believed in the power of the people, the masses. And eventually, he won.

If the same philosophy is applied today, I can assure you the world will be a better place to live in. But it all has to start from the awakening of the individual. We all need to find the Gandhi hidden in ourselves.

If we take the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the USA for instance, it was a totally heinous act carried out by a handful of fanatical minds. But, it was a huge blow to the pride of the Americans. A so-called invincible nation was attacked by a group of small-time terrorists. So how did America react? It waged war on Afghanistan, a much weaker nation that had no means to defend itself. The use of some force is not wrong; it may even be necessary to combat terrorism. But, even in such situations a sense of moderation should be adhered to. One should always try to solve a problem by non-violent means. Methods which are more peaceful and do not lead to the loss of life and resources.

A Gandhian approach would have been to conduct dialogue between the citizens of both countries. To talk to the people behind the attacks and to understand what made them do so. Bapu’s methods would try to remove some of the hatred in their minds and make them understand their wrongdoings. This is possible only when there are courageous individuals who want to see beyond the weapons and warplanes and spend time building trust and empathy.

In India for example, when we were struggling for our independence, Bapu’s followers resorted to throwing the British out by following his teaching of non-cooperation. British goods were burnt on the streets and their administrative machinery was brought to a standstill. Gandhiji believed in mass involvement and the immense power of the individual. He believed in nonviolence not because it was the easy route but because it is the most courageous way to act. Non-violence calls for the courage of one’s convictions. That is far more difficult than firing a gun or using brute force.


Let me come back to Iraq. A dictator ruled this nation for years. Saddam Hussein and his two sons tortured and tormented the citizens for decades. But even so, this did not give the America and Great Britain the right to wage war on Saddam or to accuse him of having weapons of mass destruction. So many lives were needlessly lost. World bodies like the United Nations just stood by and watched helplessly. Although Saddam has been captured today and been reduced to a war trophy for the Americans, is the suffering of the Iraqi people over? The recent media coverage of the torture faced by the prisoners in the Abu Gharib prisons, goes to show that human rights are being grossly violated. A Gandhian approach would have been to convince the Iraqi people that they have the strength to overthrow Saddam. It would have taught them to stand up for their rights and to not succumb to anyone’s will. Every individual has the courage or the willpower to succeed. Only he must know how to tap it. Coming to think of it, one man cannot do much when faced with an entire nation. These methods would have proved to be much more useful than the ones employed by the US. Without using weapons or trying to organize armies, the situation could have been controlled.

It is easy for us to be negative and say that non-violent methods will not or cannot work. Or to even say that it may have worked in that time or that era and that times have changed. A lot of people believe that violence is the only answer. But such people have a shallow understanding of the world. As Bapu said, I quote, “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.” Violence breeds more violence. History shows us without doubt that whenever a war is staged, disharmony, suffering and misery follow. In the end,
no one is benefited. War is a dehumanizing process. It does not end differences but deepens them. War stems from negative feelings like insecurity, arrogance and greed. When these feelings possess us, we forget that the enemy is also human. When we harm him, we harm the entire human race, including ourselves.

“Violence can only be countered by nonviolence”, was Bapu’s message to us. His entire life on earth was spent trying to make this message come alive, so that generations to come could benefit from his learning. The way he lived, his experiments with truth, with education, in everything he advocated, Bapu led by example. The man practiced what he preached. In the process, he taught us how to hold our heads high.


Influenced by his philosophy, Martin Luther King, picked up the cudgels for the African Americans. Greatly inspired by Gandhiji’s refusal to bow down to injustice, King led the American Blacks to a life of freedom and dignity. He did not resort to violence. He just fought for what is right. As a result, he proved once again, the efficacy of Gandhian means for a more peaceful world.


Bapu traveled in second-class train compartments, ate with the poorest of the poor and truly lived the life of a satyagrahi (A devotee of truth). If we compare him to our present day politicians, we cannot find a match. These days, politicians are just interested in the number of votes they can get. In a totally corrupt system, a number of politicians abuse their position and power. In such a world, if a politician has to wage war to get votes, he most probably will. This kind of a situation has to be looked into carefully. In most war-infested areas, it is the politicians who incite war without caring for human life. The people are usually against it. What they do not realize is that by collecting more weapons or by believing in ‘might is right’, they are the ones who are really losing out. It would be much better to use peaceful Gandhian methods, which tackle the root of the problem and do not only look at short-term gains.

Speaking on the nuclear bomb, Gandhiji said, I quote, “So far as I can see, the atomic bomb has deadened the finest feeling that has sustained mankind for ages. There used to be the so-called laws of war, which made it tolerable. Now we know the naked truth. War knows no law except that of might.”

Nuclear power, the ultimate weapon, is another evil that mankind has created, ironically for his own destruction. What one has to realize is that the Gandhian thought process could once again breathe life into our soulless world and make an attempt at bringing about peace.

Such a thought process would give all it has to peace bodies like the United Nations. It would aim to strengthen such an organization and go all out to prevent another war.

It is important to make a start, right now. Even if one man takes a step towards change, even if one mind is reformed it will make a big difference, not only to that person but to humanity as a whole. Gandhiji showed us how. I rest my case.