Happy Gandhi's Birthday

Tuesday, Oct. 2, is the 138th anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi's birth. For a little more than two years, I've had posted on the wall next to my computer a resolution from Gandhi that seems as fine a way to start the day as I can muster (if only I looked at the wall every day!):

Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:

* I shall not fear anyone on Earth.

* I shall fear only God.

* I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.

* I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.

* I shall conquer untruth by truth.

* And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.

I shall not fear anyone on Earth. So many men and women work hard to make us fear them - or to make us fear something that they want to (forcibly) rescue us from. Begin the day deciding not to be afraid, not to let fear control your behavior, and you are already on your way to a good day.

I shall fear only God. I know this site is visited by agnostics, atheists and believers alike, so let me just suggest that this is a corollary of "I shall not fear anyone on Earth." I also choose to remember (since to me God is a comforting concept, not something to be afraid of) that the words translated in the Bible as "fear of God" can also be translated as "in awe of God." This works for statement #1, too - I shall not be in awe of anyone on Earth; I shall be in awe only of God (or nature or flying spaghetti monsters or anything bigger than this life).

I shall not bear ill will toward anyone. I spent most of eight years hating Bill Clinton for ... oh, why bother explaining? The point is that hate is a force that drains so much life out of you. Many, many folks, especially in Bill's (and his counterpart George's) line of work, should never be trusted - but you will only debilitate yourself if you bear him ill will, and you certainly will never accomplish the miracle of converting him to the cause of liberty if you hate him - because your hate will be obvious and make his ears deaf to your voice.

I shall not submit to injustice from anyone. This is a tough one to follow. Sometimes it's easier to submit than to cause a scene, and I confess sometimes I take the easy course. Or I simply avoid the injustice - as in, I haven't been on an airplane since the spring of 2001, because I prefer freedom to what would happen to me if I object to the unjust and unconstitutional search of my person and property in the airport. Still, if I can point out an injustice and refuse to submit, I will try to muster the courage to do so.

I shall conquer untruth by truth. That's one reason I keep writing this stuff.

And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering. Well ... hey, I'm a big weinie and I hate pain. I keep my wage-slave job, for example, because I'm not ready for all that suffering. And I do have the occasional opportunity to conquer untruth by truth there.

Mahatma Gandhi proved you don't need violence to fight the state successfully. He proved the power of a commitment never to initiate force. We can argue until the sacred cows come home how well he succeeded, or for how long, but he gave us a good example and much to think about regarding how to make this a better world. Happy Gandhi's Birthday!