The Lessons of Mahatma Gandhi

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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was one of the most important spiritual leaders in history, a man who was once eulogized as the “spokesman for the conscience of man”. Gandhi, given the title “Mahatma,” which is similar to the Western term, “Saint,” is credited with legitimizing India’s quest for freedom from the British Empire, easing the transfer of power that would later occur.

But it wasn’t so much the result of Mahatma Gandhi’s activism that led to his reputation—he wisely embraced a strategy of non-violent civil disobedience that spiritually and politically removed the yoke of British rule from his country.

People like Gandhi, those who inspire millions and change nations, are often fonts of wisdom—they know things that most people do not, and are willing to go to lengths that others would not dream of.

We have much to learn from such people.

Fortunately, Arun Gandhi’s book, “The Gift of Anger,” distills Mahatma Gandhi’s wisdom down into a collection of life lessons we can all benefit from. Arun is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and recalls his time with the Indian leader with clarity and insight.

Let’s take a look at 6 of the greatest lessons we can take from Gandhi’s life, as given by his own grandson.

Leadership by Example

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Mahatma Gandhi didn’t simply preach—he lived out what he believed. In his book, Arun writes that Gandhi lived by five pillars of non-violence—respect, understanding, acceptance, appreciation, and compassion. Although Gandhi was as flawed a human as any of us, he did his best to live by those pillars.

This is exactly why Gandhi was so successful. He approached everyone, no matter their anger, no matter their prejudice against him or his people, with kindness and respect.

This tactic caused the world to sympathize with India and turn against the British Empire as its forces beat, imprisoned, and humiliated Indian rebels. It also changed the minds of many who came in contact with Gandhi.

If Gandhi had been a hypocrite, lashing out at his enemies, he would have been far less effective as a leader—no one would have been inspired by such a man, and no enemy changed. But people look up to those who can stick to their ideals, especially when those ideals involve treating others like the valuable human beings that they are.

Leading by example is the best form of leadership. After seeing the effects of Gandhi’s life—the freedom of India, itself—we can all agree this this is a valuable lesson.

The Importance of Persistance

Arun writes that his “grandfather’s extraordinary mental discipline left many people in awe”. And indeed, this trait was one of the keys to his successful campaign against the British Empire.

You can see the power of persistence in every part of Gandhi’s life, including his diet—he would endure periods of fasting in order to increase in discipline.

Gandhi applied this principle to larger and larger endeavors, never giving up his task to free India, even in the face of hardship and setbacks. Remember—India wasn’t freed over the course of a day, a month, or a year. It took Gandhi 33 years of carefully non-violent activism to reach his goal, putting aside all worldly comforts while enduring harsh words, imprisonment, and beatings.

This is the kind of persistence that allows us to achieve our most deeply-held goals, those aims that cannot be achieved with ease and quickness. In Gandhi’s life, we can see the importance of persistence.

The Gift of Anger

Gandhi once told Arun, when he was young, that he was glad the boy had the capacity for anger within him—that anger is a gift.

This was unexpected to Arun, just as it is likely to be unexpected to many of Gandhi’s fans—he was, after all, a champion of peace.

Gandhi went on, telling Arun that “Anger is good. I get angry all the time…I have learned to use my anger for good. Anger is like gas in the automobile—it fuels you to move forward.”

You’d never know it, but perhaps the persistence of Mahatma Gandhi was fuelled by an intense anger at injustice. Except this wasn’t an unbridled anger that lashed out when provoked. No—this was an anger that focused, that pushed, that helped Gandhi remain on the path he set out on, no matter how difficult things became.

Gandhi knew how to forgo the momentary satisfaction of an angry outburst against unjust action so that his long-term goals of peaceful change could come to fruition. That’s something we all need to learn.

Strength in Forgiveness

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One of the most important lessons that Gandhi taught Arun was that “Forgiveness is more manly than punishment.”

Indeed, it takes much more strength of character to forgive someone who has wronged you than to punish them for that wrong.

“Nonviolence is not the same as passivity or cowardice,” Gandhi continued, gifting Arun with another nugget of wisdom. This is a concept that is difficult in our contemporary era—we like to think that might makes right, that we must respond with force when someone insults us, lest we become “weak”. But in reality, the one who hits back is weaker than the one who simply forgives.

There is a quote that is wrongly attributed to Gandhi, although it still encapsulates this idea well—“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. When we engage in revenge rather than forgiveness, we hurt one another in an endless cycle of emotional and physical violence.

That has to stop somewhere, and it usually stops with great men like Gandhi. If we take the time to internalize this lesson, it can stop with us, as well.

Know Your Own Value

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Gandhi once taught young Arun a lesson while selling autographs—the boy asked that Gandhi sign his book for free, even while charging everyone else. Gandhi would not. Arun asked and asked, but still, Gandhi persisted in saying “no”.

Eventually, Arun realized that his grandfather was teaching him a lesson: since Gandhi had decided on the value of his signature, that was what it was worth to everyone. If he had given it away for free, it would have lessened its value.

Despite his austere lifestyle, Gandhi saw the value within himself, just as he saw it in others. He humbly recognized his talents and skills, and because of this, he was able to put them to full use.

Being humble doesn’t mean that we lessen ourselves—it simply means that we don’t overestimate our own importance in the context of the world around us.

Every person has value as a human being, as well as a unique set of skills that make them valuable in a special way. Recognizing this is a big step along the path to kindness.

Means Over Ends

Overall, the most important lesson we can take from Gandhi’s life is that the means are more important than the ends. Gandhi worked so hard at pioneering nonviolent resistance because he knew that violence begets violence. If we use evil means to accomplish something good, we get only more evil in the end.

More than anything, this is the lesson that our modern world needs to internalize. Men like Gandhi are remembered for a reason. Men like Martin Luther King Jr. and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are remembered for that same reason. They managed to accomplished great feats—huge reversals of power that would normally be done through war or riot—in non-violent ways.

It is unlikely, but Gandhi could have hypothetically won India’s independence through encouraging war and violence. But if he had, would he still be the beloved figure we know today? And would India still be mostly united land that we now know?

Unlikely.

When you remember Gandhi, remember this lesson. Evil means are never justified—we cannot be split between both good and evil. It is only through kindness, respect, and forgiveness that good truly wins.