Satyagraha

Truth Force.

Who do we know that would deliver the truth to us?

Could we handle the truth? 

And finally would we know truth if it hit us in the face?

These are the questions I am constantly asking myself. And sadly I have yet to find the ones that would be able to do this on a long term and constant basis in our society that would bring peace and prosperity to all people.

Friends of course do often accomplish this in small ways and this is where we/I get my encouragements from no doubt. In matters of personal and small concern this may be enough. But on a local scale, on a national scale and ultimately an international scale what I am witnessing is a total reversal of the ethics of transparency, justice and fairness that I believe are the bedrock of any civilisation. I am seeing nothing short of the kinds of behaviours that are bringing about a near total collapse of society and the care for the world around us. I dare say many feel the same, but I speak here for no-one specifically, except myself, in terms of what my eyes and ears are witnessing on a daily and sometime hourly basis. Humanity has failed to bring about any real justice and fairness both to its own kind, and that of the earth and all her other creatures. Soon there will be no more time to undo this damage and the human race as we have come to know it will be changed forever, maybe even becoming extinct from earth. 

The earth won't care of course it doesn't need us to survive. It has been doing what it does for the past so many billions of years and will continue on beyond us for many more billions I imagine. Sadly mankind has not accepted any real responsibility for the affairs of its own making, and as our present population has now soared to a whapping 7+ billion it won't be long before we have few resources left for anyone to survive. Greed has become one of the foremost catastrophic levellers of our modern age. We are abusing the earth as if its resources were infinite, but of course they are not. And add to this the mismanaged way we use them and the utterly disgusting way in which we hoard them, sharing very little of it with everyone, this abuse will of itself be a key contributor to our demise.

I hope that my pessimistic outlook doesn't deter anyone from understanding that things could so easily be different. In reality I am personally very optimistic that things can be changed for the good of all mankind. I know this because some very amazing and visionary historical figures have left examples that proved alternatives were possible and actually achievable. The sad thing about this is that we as human beings have become way too fickle to actually remember and act upon these priceless examples of change that could affect better outcomes for everyone. Few even care who Jesus and Gandhi and Buddha and Muhammad really were, or what they have displayed to us as alternatives to self motivated existence. Though I'm not sponsoring or supporting any particular religious ideology, I feel that it goes without saying that the thinking behind the writings of the Holy books of any religion, were to share a record of the teachings and examples that various characters displayed. 

In the case of Gandhi though he was never held up as a divine being, even though in some instances he was and is, still highly revered amongst his peers. Born on the 2nd October 1869 in Porbandar India, he rose to noteworthiness throughout a life dedicated to the service of others and for a path of non-violent passive resistance against the British Empire culminating with his assassination on the 30 January 1948 in New Delhi India. He was given the honorary title Mahatma (meaning great soul/spirit) by his peers, but he never felt worthy of such an accolade as he carried on selflessly adhering himself to the way of peace and his experiments with truth. Unlike others of his time he sought no personal gain from the actions he lived on a daily basis, giving creed to the ideas that being of service was reward in itself. It is definitively evident that he had inspired a great number of people, both those of his beloved homeland, but also those whom he came into contact with across the world. Albert Einstein famously said of Gandhi, “generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood”. Since his death many people have carried on the work that Gandhi promoted and today there is still a considerable movement of people who remember the message he shared and what benefit that can have upon us.

For his era, he was a pioneer of the Satyagraha.

Satyagraha (/ˌsætɪəˈɡrɑːhɑː/; Sanskrit: सत्याग्रह satyāgraha), loosely translated as "insistence on truth" (satya "truth";agraha "insistence") or holding onto truth^[1] or truth force, is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance.

He was convinced that one could not deny the existence of a divine authority in the universe and that this would mean that all people, men and women were equals and therefore should be treated fairly. The British Empire of which he was born a citizen, to him extolled the greatest system of justice and truth in his day. But he became dismayed later by that same system when he began to discover its flaws and actually its very real inequality meted out upon its subjects around the globe. For this he fought and eventually gained huge ground. Few would doubt his nations victory as India waved goodbye to the British Empires long established rule, after a deliberate and sustained Satyagraha, his campaign of non-violent resistance to the oppressions they inflicted upon India and her people in the pursuit of economic control. Despite the murderous attempts of the British Army at Amritsar (See footnote *), Gandhi managed to calm the people into total submission of this action and later on the beaches where they defied a law on harvesting salt, he showed how peaceful non-violent action could actually achieve far more than people had previously realised possible.

Earlier in his life he had taken a stand against the actions of the British Empire in Africa and declared, “They may torture my body, break my bones, even kill me, then they will have my dead body. NOT MY OBEDIENCE!” This statement definitely implies his dedication to the cause he set out to achieve. He believed very strongly in the truth and in maintaining an adherence to it at all costs. Of course like many of us he was also imperfect and made errors, but he used this self analysis upon himself constantly, to hone the skills necessary to avoid ego being the strongest motivator of his actions.

If a man like Gandhi was alive today then we might have a chance to see some real justice restored. Naturally Gandhi wasn’t the only one to have done anything like this. Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Mother Teresa, and even some currently living examples of peaceful non-compliance are heralding the re-instigation of harmonious methods of activity. Malala Yousafsai, Dalai Lama, and even RussellBrand are doing some incredible things to bring people’s attention to the fore.

In the political arenas these figures don’t hold much weight. Unfortunately, we are trapped beneath the bureaucracy of the antiquated voting system that keeps the rich as guardians of our supposed democracy. We really don’t have a democracy here, but the illusion of one. If people would only take more responsibility for their own lives and actions then we might just be in with a chance to NOT have more of the same. Imagine, if we do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always gotten. Scary as it might at first appear, our only real solution is a radical shake-up of the system of our governance. Laws that will work for fairness and not political bargaining power. Courts that convict everyone who is proved guilty by the same measuring stick, and that administer justice not based on privilege, bloodlines and money. Fair administration of wealth and resources rather than an elite few individuals having the greatest share. Austerity for no-one and meaningful work for everyone who wants a job that are capable. Ecological and environmentally sound policies that do not harm the planet and create lasting benefits to all inhabitants of earth. Education and health services that are not run by idiots but by people qualified in these specific disciplines. Housing programs that look at the resources and environmental concerns before profiteering of the corporations. An education of our interconnectedness with each other and the planet and a renouncement of lies that have held us back from gaining true understanding as to our existence here on earth and its purpose.



If we as a nation could stop believing that we are more important than any other, then I believe that peace on earth and a supportable and resilient system could function much better than what we have done for the past centuries. Suffering is optional. If we don’t like what we have chosen, then all we have to do is collectively and cooperatively choose again.





Whilst I don’t support any one political party over another, I am rather keen to see sensible policies come into action and over a much longer period that the current system allows. The Green Party have displayed a number of initiatives that are quite revolutionary and frankly more likely to succeed where we have collectively been failing in the past. If we could implement a political system that was more representative of ordinary people and their concerns and interests, then I believe we might just save ourselves further long term harm. If we looked at Gandhi and the way he displayed truth, then we might just know a better day.

Please remember, it is not what people say that should influence you the most, but what they do…
(Ministers expenses, economic unrest, banker’s bonuses etc. etc. etc….)

The choice is yours. The future though has to be ours…..

With love and peace, I rest my case for peaceful non-compliance…

In solidarity. 
Peaceful Warrior.

N.B!!

Since writing this I have made a decision to join the Green Party of England and Wales and work to support the highly achievable goals that this parties policies will bring to Britain. They are to me the only ones with enough passion and determination to effect real changes for the common good. I am also standing in my local ward of Hartsholme Lincoln to be the change I wish to see here.

1* Incidentally the Encyclopedia Britanica reports that only a large number were killed at the massacre, which could imply a typical policy of non-objectivity towards this atrocity.

2* Whereas the Indian National Congress are quoted as saying that as many as between 1000 and 1500 people were killed that day. (Read)

Various reasons why a true figure could not be given are highlighted in the above texts