Mahatma Gandhi’s human-centric approach of nationalism, discourse of Sworaj and concept of self-reliant villages offer alternative discourse of organizing society without class hierarchy and exploitation.
A pernicious virus which started last year has spread to every corner of the globe. So far, it has already inflicted more than a million fatalities and forty millions infections with no sign of immediate slow down. All are desperately waiting for temporary solution from science which potentially could ameliorate its deadly effect by producing antibody or stimulating immunity in human body. However, it is disappointing that we have not yet tried to find a permanent solution so that we may ensure no such virus comes to ravage our lives again.
This is but one among many other problems humanity is facing. The insatiable greed of nations and their extremely deceitful indulgences in propaganda, shenanigans and violence against each other have been exacerbating problems from the outset of imperialism to the present-day wider trafficking of morality––known as dalalism. The root of the problem lies in the notion of generating surplus capital which actually has infested innumerous distresses in human lives—the rich and poor alike. The rich are hoarding wealth for the bodily consumption by avoiding accountability.
There are many aspects to the crisis-ridden world. Here I concentrate on the three fundamental problems in light of Gandhian principles, on International Day of Nonviolence, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
Relevance of Lord Ram's teachings
First, any nation with the make-belief of being superior to any other nation and trying to fallaciously rationalize it by the use of lies and violence is one of the immediate threats mankind confronts now. Very sickening is this delusion about the superiority over another man. 'Others' are evil and 'we' are good is the most wretched propaganda the state machineries and its leadership have been propagating to keep their hold on to power and wealth. In the time of growing distrust and withering cooperation between players in international politics, politicians create the sense of insecurity among people and abuse this state of mind for their benefit by taking countries into avoidable prolonged wars.
Brutal killings are justified in the name of nation and nationalism. Take the growing incidents of extrajudicial killings and mob lynching. What is made to believe is 'anti-national' can be killed and nationalist be given a panegyric.
In this volatile and wearisome time, Mahatma Gandhi's human-centric approach of nationalism, discourse of Sworaj and the concept of self-reliant villages that are unaffected by evil notion of competition and capitalist consumption offer alternative discourse of organizing society without class hierarchy and any form of exploitation.
Providing a platform and opportunity to the fullest extent to the individual to exploit potentials would secure the birth of free human in the non-violent society. Gandhi said that the state which is 'necessary evil' for the time being should be done away with by the moral growth of human beings. There is simply no place for civic or ethical or sectarian or any forms of nationalism if these do no good to the humanity. For Gandhi, humanism is nationalism.
Second, it is tomfoolery not to reflect on our past sins. I have no doubt that we are being punished by god for violence and exploitation. We must rethink our omnivorous mode of life as we indulge in the unlawful killing of other lives and consume their flesh. Moreover, we have to consider how allopathy has tampered our body by generating different effects in the course of treatment which exposes us to more complex evolution of syndrome through mutation of pathogens. It not only weakens our body but further deters and extinguishes our morality. For instance, if a man gets syphilis after getting into prostitution and visits the doctor, who is more interested in money than social welfare, and gets treatment of his infection, it does not cure his immorality.
The rampage of Covid-19 should remind us what Mahatma said about the error of having global interdependency and uncontrollable mobility by air, water and land that created such a vulnerable state of human civilization.
Third, apocalyptic threat against mankind gets inflated from the consequences of global warming. Capitalism as major culpable actor of this problem has unleashed a campaign from its onset that the amount of accumulated capital is the measure to judge individual’s success and social fame. Those who possessed more commanded wealth and consumption became a role model of the capitalist society. It is no secret that such promotion of hoarding and consumption accelerates surplus generation in the capitalist's account but it drove mankind on the path of irrational exploitation of nature which inflicted unimaginable injuries on mother earth.
Karl Marx wrote in Capital “money can buy everything but not all the things one can want.” Gandhi said “earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man’s greed.”
Gandhi warned us long ago that we are madly extracting the nature. The system of global capitalism encourages us to go after the gluttony since, as it belies, amount of our commanded wealth has been counted to justify our social wellbeing. Such sinful act of inspiring for hoarding has resulted in irreparable damages.
Without changing our lifestyle into need-based, self-reliant and nonviolent mode we will neither be able to save the world nor the humanity.
The author is a graduate in Gandhian Studies from Institute of Gandhian Studies, Maharastra
