Love and Forgiveness in Governance: Exemplars: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
by Cat Meurn
The choice of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi may be an obvious one, given our coverage of exemplars in love and forgiveness in governance. However, he is still worth highlighting, not just because of his own personal practice of love and forgiveness, but also due to the vast number of people he has inspired to live in a similar way. The Gandhian way of non-violence was rooted in the Indian religions of Jainism and Buddhism, which advocate ahimsa or the "absence of the desire to kill or harm."[1] For Gandhi, ahimsa was the expression of the deepest love for humans, including one's enemies. Thus, this type of non-violence included not only a lack of physical harm to them, but also a lack of hatred or ill will.[2]
Gandhi led three great popular movements that eventually wore down the British government, leading to Indian independence. Despite the violence that ensued within each, Gandhi continued to preach and adhere to his definition of ahimsa. He instigated a boycott of British goods and institutions and encouraged mass civil disobedience, which led to his arrest in 1921.[3] Even after periods in jail, being accosted, and the immense pressure he was facing, he continued to fight for Indian independence without the use of violence.[4]
It is well known that Gandhi was assassinated in the spring of 1948. But few know that there were several attempts — by the same man — beginning in the mid-1930s. In fact, there were six known assassination attempts on his life. After one attempt, the would-be assassin was caught by some volunteers and brought before Gandhi. What he said then, very few of us would ever be able to say: "Forgiveness must always be unconditional."[5] This is a true example of love and forgiveness for one's enemies.
His commitment to nonviolence and forgiveness of his enemies inspired the Indian populace to follow his lead, as well as other figures later on such as Dr. Martin Luther King in the United States, Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko in South Africa, and Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar.[6] As he famously said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."[7] His example and reflections on love and forgiveness can certainly offer a lot of guidance to us all.
[1] Ball, David. "Gandhi's Non-Violence." Center for Compassionate Social Change, 1999. <http://socialchangenow.ca/mypages/gandhi.htm>.
[2] Ibid.
[3] "Mahatma Gandhi Biography." The History Channel. <http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/mohandas-gandhi.html>.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Cousineau, Phil. Beyond Forgiveness: Reflections on Atonement. John Wiley & Sons, December 29, 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=TaOjjBrpU7sC>.
[6] Ibid.
[7] "10 of Gandhi's Memorable Quotes." Goodnet, October 5, 2012. <http://www.goodnet.org/articles/575>.
