Mohandas Gandhi: a Peace Influencer

The power of peace is intuitive to individuals, as well as the power of violence. World peace has always been a set goal for influencers and peace-makers. With wars, hate, bullying, and all of the negative energy this world has seen, it is safe to say that many people would probably see this goal as impossible to reach. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist that used peaceful protesting and his voice to touch upon the Civil Rights Movement. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, wanted peace of mind for the slaves of America and wanted justice and freedom provided for them. These two notable peacemakers have made their effect on the world and society. However, traveling overseas, through the Atlantic and Europe is one country that held one of the biggest peace influencers in the world, Mohandas Gandhi.

Mohandas Gandhi was a spiritualist Hindu that believed that moral values were more important than the material ones. He used his beliefs and knowledge to bring groups of people together and accomplish peace. Gandhi was born on October 2nd, 1869 to a westernized Indian underule of the British. His parents were Hindus as well and raised Mohandas as one. His mother’s religiosity was said to be one of the biggest influences on his life. Gandhi’s faith in God and peace helped him deal with the imperialism of India. He used a combination of nonviolent actions and wise words to empower and touch the Indian people. No matter their religion, Hindu or Muslim, Gandhi was able to create a force of people to resist the imperialism of Great Britain. Furthermore in history, around 1947, the British were forced out of India; however Gandhi could not see his work as completed. With the British gone, violence aroused, as the fight for who held the power in India was being questioned.

In 1888, Gandhi decided to take his law career too England. Ghandi was weirded out by the Western food and practices, he was criticized for being a vegetarian but this made him focus even more on remaining a Hindu. In 1892, Gandhi decides to take a law firm too Natal, South Africa. Here he notices the discrimination from the westerners again both Indian people and African ones as well. In South Africa Gandhi refused to give up his seat for a European and that resulted into him getting beat up. This only made Gandhi want to fight for social injustice even more and this led to him offering a petition to the British, but unfortunately getting rejected. As well as, the Natal Indian Congress, a force to resist the injustice done to Indians in Natal. 1906 was when the British decided to strike back. They passed a legislation requiring Indian people of South Africa to be registered with a fingerprint so authorities can monitor and control them.

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