The Way to Equal Distribution

by Mahatma Gandhi

Questions and Answers (AECC BLOCK – 02 : Prose)

1. What do you know about non-violence?
Answer – Non-violence is a lofty trait that makes a person to resolve his conflicts by adopting persuasion, reason, tolerance, love, and willingness to endure hardship and injury inflicted by others. Revenge and resort to physical force are alien to the philosophy of non-violence. Non-violence targets the conscience of the tormentor by appealing to the noble elements in their personality. Since, it shuns the use of force, and triggers the divine instincts in the minds of the rival, non-violent methods prove to be far more effective weapons in winning over a foe than the conventional arms and ammunitions.

2. How can we apply Gandhian ideals in today’s world? Write with suitable examples.
Answer – The bedrock of Gandhiji’s ideals are the values such as simplicity, compassion, sympathy, and altruism. Greed and indulgence in sensual pleasures are anathema to him. Gandhiji’s heart wept for the underprivileged, and rebelled against injustice in all its forms. He wanted to free the human society of sins like greed, exploitation, and oppression.

Gandhiji’s ideas are both practical, and adoptable. We just need to look around us to see what brings true happiness to the soul. We have read the poem ‘The Miller of the Dee’ where a humble miller boasts about his happy, tension-free mind to the King, weighed down by his duties and responsibilities. We come across frequent instances of young boys and girls from fabulously rich Jain families renouncing the comforts of their cozy homes and becoming ascetics. Even in the ultra-materialistic western world, world’s richest men like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have given away a lion’s share of their wealth for philanthropy. Such gifts have made them happier.

However, a single frail man like him could never accomplish such an extremely daunting task. So, he pondered over the matter, and found that God has left a small spark of his nobility in every human being. He decided to ignite this spark, and let the light banish all the darkness from the hearts of people who resort to brute force to settle disputes and practice senseless pursuit of pleasure. This led (To be completed soon)

3. Does non-violence serve any positive goal? Give appropriate reasons and examples.
Answer – The human society has been embroiled in endless conflicts, battles, and bloodshed right from the Stone Age, but lasting peace and harmony have eluded mankind. We still see appalling instances of oppression, exploitation and poverty despite the huge strides made towards generation of wealth. Even today, war is being fought in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia.  On the other hand, temples, mosques and churches have continued as oasis of love, sympathy and compassion. This is because the priests who manage these institutions eschew greed to live simple lives. They don’t take recourse to violence to assert their authority. The world is a happier place because of such places of worship that preach the futility of violence.

For example, we can see the extraordinary interest shown in the western world towards Buddhism. This faith preaches sacrifice, abhorrence towards luxury, and reining in for materialistic allurements. Non-violence underlines all such virtuous thoughts.

4. What is your opinion on Gandhi’s idea of Satyagraha?
Answer – Surely, Satyagraha is a very potent weapon to combat authoritarianism, oppression, injustice and exploitation.  It disarms the might of the dictators through mass participation, and strict adherence to non-violent behavior. Since, morality is Satyagraha’s weapon, the most demonic ruler feels powerless to confront it. I feel, aggrieved people of India should take to Satyagraha for their agitation, rather than burning public property and physically attacking government functionaries.

5. Write a short-note on non-violence. How does it help a nation grow politically and economically?
Answer – Non-violence, when adopted as a state policy, dissuades the rival countries from using force to settle scores. The need for maintaining a mighty and expensive army is minimized. Inside the country too, people don’t force their demands on the government through violent means. It results in harmony, and peace in the country.

6. Respond to Gandhi’s idea of the integral nature of religion in a multi-lingual and multi-cultural nation.
Answer – Religion binds people to a set of noble values. It acts like a glue to hold together disparate groups of people separated by their ethnicity, culture and language. It’s to be noted that the underlying principles of all religions are nearly identical. Thus, religion stops citizens from being selfish, greedy and vengeful. In a multi-lingual and multi-cultural nation such as ours, frictions between groups are inevitable. If not contained, such centrifugal forces can rip the country apart. Religions help to restrain animal-like tendencies by asking their followers to be tolerant and accommodative. So, the country remains at peace with itself, and marches in the path of peace and progress.