Gandhi did not approve of "Gandhism" as he explained: “There is no such thing as Gandhism, and I do not want to leave any sect after me. I do not claim to have originated any new principle or doctrine. I have simply tried in my own way to apply the eternal truths to our daily life and problems... I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.”
But in present times, for many, Gandhism is understood as “a body of ideas and principles that describes the inspiration, vision and the life work of Gandhi, and it is particularly associated with his contributions to the idea and practice of nonviolent resistance, sometimes also called civil resistance”. The term "Gandhism", at the present time, also encompasses what Gandhi's ideas, words and actions mean to people around the world, and how they use them for guidance in changing the past for building their own future.
If you did follow the international news during these last months, you could have witnessed the crowds manifesting in almost all capital cities of the nations of the world. Everywhere people, and especially the new internet generation, have organized civil, nonviolent protests againt the injustice of regimes and fake democracies.
It is a global revolution and it is a ‘nonviolent’ revolution of the people of the world, of different cultures, different religions, different languages, but united, with courage and determination, to be the change they want to see in the world.
This is a young generation of global citizens, human beings that think different, that have realized that the whole world is one, with no barriers, and that the truth is that geopolitical boundaries are but an old illusion that has vanished in their minds.
They have overcame nationalism to embrace the concept of ‘One world, One family’…
They want freedom from national governments and direct democracy in their communities, they want freedom from party politics and economic exploitation… they want a better world and they know it is possible to create it with their participation.
Long time ago, in 1997, for the conclusion of the celebrations of the golden Jubilee of Indian Independence, Arya B.Bhardwaj, Margaret Huge and myself, as international coordinators of Jai Jagat Mahotsav, organized in New Delhi, at the Gandhi Peace Foundation, a multimedia exhibition, “Small Is Beautiful”, to inform India about the global circulation of the ideas of Gandhiji and Vinobaji and how their messages had changed the mind and actions of so many people and groups around the world… since than a lot has happened and we have been monitoring the expansion of the global nonviolent movement for truth, love, compassion and simple living.
Now that the western world is under the stress of recession, and economic depression, rapidly downsizing the expectation to globalize the political and financial patterns of the modern form of the anglo/american empire, the nonviolent freedom movement is rapidly expanding all over the world, creating the need of a new, just, social order for the whole humanity.
Is it an evidence of the spreading of Gandhism at a global level?
Is it an evidence that the world is changing towards the visions of Gandhi and Vinoba?
Is it an evidence that the ‘old’ world of egoism, competition, profit and exploitation, consumerism and capitalism is reaching the default of its unsustainable model of development?
Is it an evidence that human consciousness has expanded and cannot anymore accept the unacceptable?
Indian culture has a very important role in this historical time of change and can easily lead the present global revolution by dusting the writings of the Mahatma, about the India and the world of his dreams, about Gram Swaraj, about simple living and human values.
This would offer to the hungry youths of the world food for their thinking, and to energize their nonviolent actions.
The governments of all nations are facing the vertical downfall of the people support and confidence, the financial crisis of refinancing their debts, the istability of the partitocratic system, the economic recession and the rise of the poverty levels…
Only few months ago it was impossible to imagine the bankruptcy of a national state, but now, mid of July 2011, while I am writing, the USA and European states are on the edge… Potiticians are discussing, cutting expenses and services, rising taxes and changing rules according to the need of the system to survive, but the people that are filling the streets demonstrating their indignation, as people see no future and are hungry for positive viable alternative ways to organize their survival after the death of the capitalistic system.
Since 1999 we, as Gandhi In Action Europe, elaborated a project for Europe translating the ‘gandhian’ concept of “gramswaraj” in “selfgoverning european community” federated in the Union of European Communities… The idea was tested in a local community, Valsesia, in the western Italian alps, and proved to be easily understood by all sort of local residents and we are now making it available to the innumerable indipendentist movements in Europe.
Is it an evidence that the time has come for the paradigm gramswaraj-jai jagat?
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Crucial time for a change of direction
"WHY GANDHI IS RELEVANT EVEN TODAY?"
More than relevant, I would say ‘’today, Gandhi is crucial’’.
Crucial is the time for the world, the whole (human) world needs to change direction.
Human consciousness has expanded and now is aware of things that before could not imagine.
After the fall of communism it seemed that the western way of living was the only way, but now we all realize the western way towards ‘’development’’ is unsustainable, economically, environmentally, humanly.
We all know that way is a wrong way, a dead end way.
The only way out is a U turn, a drastic change of direction, and this is what is happening today.
I live in the western world since I was born, in 1947. I studied in western schools and university, I worked and served within the western way to business and ‘democracy’… In the past I have seen many little changes, ups and downs of the economy, left and right in party politics, but the system was growing and the western style of living kept expanding in the world. GB and the USA were the leaders of what we call ‘’the western way of living’’. Free market for profit, competition winner/looser, party power politics, institutions and related bureaucracy and the ‘majority’ system (50,01% rules and makes the laws and 49,99 plays opposition), consumerism, fast food and shopping centers, highways and high speed internet, TV serials, reality shows, newsrooms, stock and bonds, credit cards, business, business, business, all with the stress of ‘’growth’’, from GDP (gross domestic product) to family standard of living, consensus and share of market, profit, income, salary, number of clients, viewers, readers, buyers, all must grow, grow, grow.
Now, it is in recession.
No more growth, everything is ‘downsizing’ but a new consciousness is growing.. the awareness that ‘the way’ was not the right way and this has put the western and the ‘westernized’ world on standby.
Crucial decisions have to be made for change of direction, goals, values.
The western world is violent, uses violence and makes shows and movies on violence. In USA there are more guns than people. Fear and greed are the motivations, egoism and individualism are the standards, health and security, pollution, waste and overconsumption of energy are the issues, psychosis, stress and obesity are the most common diseases.
To recede means to retreat, to move the opposite direction... and here Gandhi becomes crucial.
When Mr.Obama made of his slogan.. ‘’change, yes we can!’’ he publicly told a student that if he had to choose a person of the past to have dinner with, he would choose Gandhi. He said that thanks to the influence Gandhi had on Martin Luther King, the USA could have now an afro-american president.
I do not say Obama is a newborn gandhian… he is a man of the system, but, if change has to be, he knows the direction.
Violence can turn to nonviolence, competion can turn to cooperation, greed can turn to sharing, egoism can change into solidarity, the richness of the few can turn to the welfare for all, imperialistic democracy can change to community swaraj and freedom for all…
India is now, thanks to Gandhi, in the position to lead the world towards a sustainable natural living, fair human relationships, peaceful solutions to all problems and conflicts, healthy farming and healthy food, simple life and integrity… So much Gandhi and Vinoba had to share on all these issues and now their thought, experiences and achievements are powerful lighthouses for the lost and wondering.
I am sure your intuition knows what I mean.
Jai Jagat!
Riccardo Gramegna
Gandhi In Action Int.l - Europe
More than relevant, I would say ‘’today, Gandhi is crucial’’.
Crucial is the time for the world, the whole (human) world needs to change direction.
Human consciousness has expanded and now is aware of things that before could not imagine.
After the fall of communism it seemed that the western way of living was the only way, but now we all realize the western way towards ‘’development’’ is unsustainable, economically, environmentally, humanly.
We all know that way is a wrong way, a dead end way.
The only way out is a U turn, a drastic change of direction, and this is what is happening today.
I live in the western world since I was born, in 1947. I studied in western schools and university, I worked and served within the western way to business and ‘democracy’… In the past I have seen many little changes, ups and downs of the economy, left and right in party politics, but the system was growing and the western style of living kept expanding in the world. GB and the USA were the leaders of what we call ‘’the western way of living’’. Free market for profit, competition winner/looser, party power politics, institutions and related bureaucracy and the ‘majority’ system (50,01% rules and makes the laws and 49,99 plays opposition), consumerism, fast food and shopping centers, highways and high speed internet, TV serials, reality shows, newsrooms, stock and bonds, credit cards, business, business, business, all with the stress of ‘’growth’’, from GDP (gross domestic product) to family standard of living, consensus and share of market, profit, income, salary, number of clients, viewers, readers, buyers, all must grow, grow, grow.
Now, it is in recession.
No more growth, everything is ‘downsizing’ but a new consciousness is growing.. the awareness that ‘the way’ was not the right way and this has put the western and the ‘westernized’ world on standby.
Crucial decisions have to be made for change of direction, goals, values.
The western world is violent, uses violence and makes shows and movies on violence. In USA there are more guns than people. Fear and greed are the motivations, egoism and individualism are the standards, health and security, pollution, waste and overconsumption of energy are the issues, psychosis, stress and obesity are the most common diseases.
To recede means to retreat, to move the opposite direction... and here Gandhi becomes crucial.
When Mr.Obama made of his slogan.. ‘’change, yes we can!’’ he publicly told a student that if he had to choose a person of the past to have dinner with, he would choose Gandhi. He said that thanks to the influence Gandhi had on Martin Luther King, the USA could have now an afro-american president.
I do not say Obama is a newborn gandhian… he is a man of the system, but, if change has to be, he knows the direction.
Violence can turn to nonviolence, competion can turn to cooperation, greed can turn to sharing, egoism can change into solidarity, the richness of the few can turn to the welfare for all, imperialistic democracy can change to community swaraj and freedom for all…
India is now, thanks to Gandhi, in the position to lead the world towards a sustainable natural living, fair human relationships, peaceful solutions to all problems and conflicts, healthy farming and healthy food, simple life and integrity… So much Gandhi and Vinoba had to share on all these issues and now their thought, experiences and achievements are powerful lighthouses for the lost and wondering.
I am sure your intuition knows what I mean.
Jai Jagat!
Riccardo Gramegna
Gandhi In Action Int.l - Europe
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