This is one of the reasons he may not have ...
Submitted by A.I. Watcher on February 28 2002 00:17:33
In reply to Another Quote From Mohandas K. Gandhi... submitted by Andy on February 27 2002 21:57:40
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... won the Nobel Peace Prize, though there is controversy about that topic. Gandhi was a complex and in many ways confusing man - especially confusing to westerners, perhaps. It's interesting that he did not describe himself as non-violent - just passive. And for Ghandi passivity was a strategy well suited to the weak. In his magazine articles, he didn't talk about the moral reasons for not killing the British occupiers, just the practical ones. He wanted his people to show the world that they were in the right by allowing (even encouraging) the British to abuse them and kill them. He wanted Indians to be seen as oppressed and in a morally superior position. He realized that only the spotlight of international opinion would influence the occupying forces. So some say that he encouraged violence. He never disagreed nor did he ever preach that violence was inherently wrong. The Western world has set Ghandi up on a high philosophical and moral pedestal, likening him to Christ or Buddha. We see him as practically a religious leader and as a deeply compassionate, humble man. The view in India is decidedly different. There is he more regarded as a sound strategist and brilliant tactician. He actually strayed from accepted Hindu practices quite a bit and is not particularly revered as a holy man. |
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