by Robert Wilkinson
Every year we offer a huge Happy Birthday to a couple of the greatest who were both born on October 2. This year we launch the celebration with the Mahatma in the spotlight, with Groucho’s turn in a few hours!
In one of history’s great ironies, the "great Spirit," aka "Mahatma" Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), and the great wit Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) are both Libras born on October 2! Even though they were born 21 years and worlds apart, they had some important astrological similarities.
Both had very sharp wits, both punctured imperialists and fascist thinking at every turn, and each had an amazing sense of humor. Neither of them had much use for authoritarians or Fascists of any stripe, and it's interesting to me that they each influenced millions during the same era.
This was truly a remarkable duo who changed the world forever, each in their own way. I suppose great Souls incarnate to answer the need of their times. This is a perfect example of the illumination power of the ridiculous and the sublime existing as one.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was one of the greatest to ever walk among us, a human who claimed his "god self" and became one of the best of all time. Gandhi was a truly remarkable man for the Ages, and showed the way to the High Road regardless of local circumstances. No less than Einstein had this to say about Gandhi:
Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds humanity has produced, once said of Gandhi that "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood." One of the most effective politicians in history, he demonstrated the practical truth that the way of applied Soul force using non-violent techniques is the most powerful political tool we have.
As I’ve noted before, though many think of him as a caricature of a kindly old man, or a hopelessly naive advocate for a non-violence believed impossible to achieve, Mohandas Gandhi, a.k.a. "the Mahatma" (Great Spirit) gave us all the only sane technique for restoring peace in our ridiculously divided and aggressive world. Today we take a new look at some of his great quotes, among them: "Gandhi was once asked what he thought about western civilization. His response was: 'I think it would be a good idea.'”
Gotta love anyone with that sense of humor. Today we have quite a few of his more memorable quotes that will serve as grist for the mill of your Soul, and the Soul of humanity and our world. Enjoy, and send up a moment of appreciation to one of the most remarkable men ever to walk this Earth.
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Gandhi's 7 Deadly Social Sins: Wealth without Work, Pleasure without Conscience, Science without Humanity, Knowledge without Character, Politics without Principle, Commerce without Morality, Worship without Sacrifice
Democracy and violence can ill go together. Evolution of democracy is not possible if we are not prepared to hear the other side.
Hatred ever kills, love never dies; such is the vast difference between the two. What is obtained by love is retained for all time. What is obtained by hatred proves a burden in reality for it increases hatred.
You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul.
Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.
Whether humanity will consciously follow the law of love, I do not know. But that need not disturb me. The law will work just as the law of gravitation works, whether we accept it or not. The person who discovered the law of love was a far greater scientist than any of our modern scientists. Only our explorations have not gone far enough and so it is not possible for everyone to see all its workings.
However much I may sympathize with and admire worthy motives, I am an uncompromising opponent of violent methods even to serve the noblest of causes.
Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.
Nonviolence and cowardice are contradictory terms. Nonviolence is the greatest virtue, cowardice the greatest vice. Nonviolence springs from love, cowardice from hate. Nonviolence always suffers, cowardice would always inflict suffering. Perfect nonviolence is the highest bravery. Nonviolent conduct is never demoralizing, cowardice always is.
Every murder or other injury, no matter for what cause, committed or inflicted on another is a crime against humanity.
Man's nature is not essentially evil. Brute nature has been known to yield to the influence of love. You must never despair of human nature.
It is the law of love that rules mankind. Had violence, i.e. hate, ruled us we should have become extinct long ago. And yet, the tragedy of it is that the so-called civilized men and nations conduct themselves as if the basis of society was violence.
Faith... must be enforced by reason... when faith becomes blind it dies.
And because it is one of my all-time favorites, here it is again:
He supposedly said this to reporters when he first got to England. Gandhi was asked what he thought about western civilization. His response was: "I think it would be a good idea."
Here are three more posts with the Mahatma's wisdom:
Mahatma Gandhi and our Quantum Reality
Gandhi Speaks - Why even limited nuclear war and weapons are immoral
This man was and is the gold standard for non-violent non-cooperation with beings and systems that oppress any part of humanity. While all of the tactics may not work all the time with fascists and other authoritarians, it's still the hope of the world. As the Mahatma famously once said, "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." Something to consider as we walk the walk of striving to bring forth the best within and without.
May Gandhi’s example inspire all of us as we navigate a turbulent time in human history. Aum and blessings to you, Mahatma. May your Soul's message to us all grow stronger with each day that passes.
© Copyright 2020 Robert Wilkinson
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