And after being told that the power to the British colonial rule was their meat-eating diet, Gandhi secretly began to eat meat. Noticing an incorrect spelling, his teacher motioned for him to copy his neighbour's spelling but he stoutly refused to do so. He himself remained a committed Hindu throughout his life, but was critical of all faiths and what he saw as the hypocrisy of organised religion.Įven as a young child his morals were tested when an inspector of schools came to visit during a spelling test. Gandhi hoped to win people over by changing their hearts and minds, and advocated non-violence in all things. Gandhi probably took the religious principle of ' Ahimsa' (doing no harm) from his Jain neighbours, and from it developed his own famous principle of Satyagraha (truth force) later on in his life. He had many Christian and Muslim friends, as well as being heavily influenced by Jainism in his youth. Mahatma Gandhi has come to be known as the Father of India and a beacon of light in the last decades of British colonial rule, promoting non-violence, justice and harmony between people of all faiths.īorn in 1869 in Porbandar on the Western coast of India and raised by Hindu parents, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi found many opportunities in his youth to meet people of all faiths. It’s that simple and it’s that profound.Gandhi in 1931 during a visit to London © If you want to see change you must first start within. But facing our change can change everything.Įach one of us can leave a stamp on this world by making our lives meaningful in a thousand ways and making the lives of others better than they ever thought possible. It’s a true commitment-a commitment to lead with heart to add value to the world.Ĭhanging our face can change nothing. The commitment for change has no days off, does not allow for excuses, does not allow for pardons. The best leaders the world has ever known are the reformers who were accountable and responsible for their own change. Let your every word be reflective of your own thoughts. Let your every action be a reflection of your beliefs. Let your every moment be an example of what you teach and counsel. Whatever changes you would like to effect in our society has to begin with you. Gandhi replied, “Upon your visit two weeks ago I too was eating sugar.” He explained that he could not speak of or teach her son to not eat sugar if he himself had not taken that journey. After thanking Gandhi for his wise and compassionate words, the mother asked him why he wanted them to return instead of offering his advice the first time.
Hearing her repeated request, Gandhi immediately spoke with the boy, who agreed to begin working to eliminate sweets.
In two weeks they returned, and after waiting for a couple of hours, she was able to approach Gandhi once again. She wondered why he didn’t just speak to her son when he was already there, but she complied with his request. Gandhi asked her to come back in two weeks and said he would talk to the boy then. When it was their turn, the woman asked Gandhi to speak with her son about eating sugar. But even as we have quoted, cited, coached it and counseled with it, we don’t often hear the story behind it.Īmong the hundreds of people were waiting to visit with Mahatma Gandhi were a mother and her young son. So many of us have heard and been moved by Gandhi's quote. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.- Mahatma Gandhi
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