27 May 2011
Gandhi: Brilliant Analyst, Inspiring Teacher
In reviewing Joseph Lelyveld’s “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India” in the May 2, 2011, New Yorker, Pankaj Mishra seems to believe that Gandhi’s real legacy was to teach others to know and inspire them to believe that collective action is needed to combat certain forces of evil. The latter elements of society are those who are driven by a profit motive to pursue the “debilitating arms race” between India and Pakistan, and could include those who still abandon traditional Indian values in favor of material wealth.
There is certainly a lesson to be learned from Gandhi by those who have suffered the consequences of the subprime mortgage fiasco and the Euro-debt collapse. Modern society appears to be divided between the smart individualists who maximize short-term gains, coasting through the rough spots, and the pathetic victims of their dangerous risks who need to be inspired to act collectively in order to protect their basic interests. Mahatma Gandhi brilliantly recognized this truism but it is his disciples’ responsibility to carry out his inspirational message.
In reviewing Joseph Lelyveld’s “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India” in the May 2, 2011, New Yorker, Pankaj Mishra seems to believe that Gandhi’s real legacy was to teach others to know and inspire them to believe that collective action is needed to combat certain forces of evil. The latter elements of society are those who are driven by a profit motive to pursue the “debilitating arms race” between India and Pakistan, and could include those who still abandon traditional Indian values in favor of material wealth.
There is certainly a lesson to be learned from Gandhi by those who have suffered the consequences of the subprime mortgage fiasco and the Euro-debt collapse. Modern society appears to be divided between the smart individualists who maximize short-term gains, coasting through the rough spots, and the pathetic victims of their dangerous risks who need to be inspired to act collectively in order to protect their basic interests. Mahatma Gandhi brilliantly recognized this truism but it is his disciples’ responsibility to carry out his inspirational message.
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