Inscribed on the tomb of an English clergyman in Westminster Abbey, London, are the
following words:
“When I was young, my imagination knew no bounds. I dreamed of changing the world. As I
grew older and wiser, I realized that the world would not change so easily, so I narrowed my
ambitions and decided to change only my country. But even that seemed impossible. In the
final years of my life, in despair, I resolved merely to change my family and those closest to
me. Yet I could not change them either. Now, lying on my deathbed, I suddenly realize that
had I changed myself first, then by my example I might have inspired my family to change.
With their encouragement and support, perhaps I could have changed my country, and
who knows, I might even have changed the world.”
This episode beautifully reinforces Gandhi’s famous saying:
“Be the change you wish to see in others.”
Another statement attributed to Gandhi conveys a similar message:
“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as in
being able to remake ourselves.”
Change is the law of nature and is essential for renewal and growth. Certain changes occur
beyond human control—such as the changing seasons, rainfall, sunrise, and sunset.
However, many transformations are distinctly human in nature and lie within our capacity
to bring about. These include changes in personal character, new inventions, and material
progress.
Human beings often tend to evade their duties and responsibilities while readily claiming
rights and privileges. We proudly take credit for our achievements but are quick to place
the blame for our mistakes upon others. As the old saying goes, “Preaching to others is
easy.” In today’s fiercely competitive world, this tendency is becoming increasingly
common.
We expect others to change according to our preferences, yet we ourselves are often
unwilling to change. We desire respect, love, hospitality, and loyalty from others, but
seldom examine how faithfully we fulfill these expectations in our own conduct.
How can we expect respect and affection from others if we ourselves do not offer them?
We frequently make lofty speeches and dream of transforming society, but fail to
incorporate these ideals into our daily lives. Like the clergyman mentioned earlier, we often
dream of changing society while neglecting to transform ourselves in accordance with the
values we advocate. We tend to believe that we are already complete and have no need for
self-improvement. As a result, many of our aspirations remain unfulfilled.
In reality, the person who most needs change is often ourselves. Yet, before beginning with
self-reform, we attempt to reform the entire world. We place countless expectations upon
others, and when these expectations remain unmet, we begin criticizing them instead of
introspecting. This sentiment is beautifully expressed in a verse by Ghalib:
“Throughout my life, Ghalib committed this very mistake:
He kept wiping dust from mirrors while his own face remained unclean.”
The dust upon the mirror symbolizes our flaws, prejudices, and ego, which can only be
removed through self-transformation. Changing the mirror alone cannot cleanse our
reflection. Today, we witness growing protests, agitations, and movements against
corruption, crimes against women, and various social evils. Gandhi’s methods of fasting,
satyagraha, and non-violent resistance inspired not only India but the entire world.
However, many contemporary movements often become reactive and short-lived, losing
their momentum within a few days.
People today often become disappointed when immediate results are not achieved. Such
movements generally fail to sustain themselves in the long run because they increasingly
lose the spirit of sacrifice and the patience, courage, and selflessness that characterize a
true movement. Gandhi’s social life was guided by simplicity, truthfulness, and sacrifice.
Whatever he preached, he practiced himself. This is why his life reflected morality, integrity,
and courage.
Whenever Gandhi realized that he had committed even a minor mistake, he considered
himself guilty and readily apologized for it. If Gandhi encouraged people to adopt honesty,
truth, and non-violence, he himself strictly followed these ideals in practice. A famous
incident illustrates this well. A mother once brought her son to Gandhi and complained
that the child had developed a habit of eating too many sweets. Gandhi did not advise the
boy immediately. Instead, he asked them to return after some time. When they returned,
Gandhi simply told the child not to eat excessive sweets. The mother asked why he had not
said the same thing earlier. Gandhi replied that at that time he himself had not overcome
his own habit of eating sweets. Only after giving up the habit personally did he feel entitled
to advise someone else.
Today, many movements have become highly result-oriented and are often driven by
personal interests, which raises questions regarding their nature and quality. We frequently
wish that corruption should disappear from society, yet we ourselves engage in practices
that are ethically questionable and often amount to corruption. We easily console
ourselves by saying that one individual’s actions make little difference, but we need to
understand that just as a reservoir fills drop by drop, social transformation also begins with
individual transformation.
A system is never separate from the people who constitute it. If every person adopts
honesty and opposition to corruption as a personal habit, society will undoubtedly become
free from corruption. Only then can we move closer to Gandhi’s ideal of Ram Rajya. We
must strengthen the values of universal welfare and world brotherhood, in which sacrifice
occupies an important place in Indian culture.
We should remember the saying:
“Parahit saris dharam nahin bhai,
Par peeda sam nahin adhmai.”
(There is no religion greater than serving others, and no sin worse than causing suffering to
others.)
This idea closely resembles Ruskin’s belief that:
“Do whatever good lies within your capacity, wherever you are.”
If we wish to eradicate poverty, injustice, and discrimination, we should contribute
whatever we can from our own side. Instead of merely criticizing industries for causing
pollution, we should ourselves resolve to adopt environmentally friendly habits, because
pollution is caused not only by factories but also by our own practices—such as
indiscriminately throwing plastic bags, dumping waste into rivers, and increasing vehicular
emissions.
Gandhi rightly observed:
“Faith has no value unless it is translated into action. If you are fighting for justice, God is
always with you.”
At present, many people who claim to fight for women’s rights are themselves found
participating in their exploitation. Merely organizing movements in support of women
cannot bring about real change. For that, we must transform our patriarchal mindset,
which manifests itself both directly and indirectly.
For instance, after the Nirbhaya incident, slogans such as:
“Delhi Police, do one thing—organize a dance competition for girls wearing short skirts.”
clearly reflected a misogynistic mentality that equates women’s clothing with the cause of
crimes against them. Unless we free ourselves from such prejudices, how can the police
alone prevent violence and crimes against women?
Our contribution should be toward building a healthy society in which we willingly perform
our duties in a spirit of service. Human beings truly become victorious only when they
dedicate their lives to service rather than conflict. In an age where Gandhi’s walking stick is
being replaced by guns and violence, and where blows are answered with stronger blows, it
has become even more necessary that we transform ourselves first. If the mentality of
individuals changes, society will also change. When we begin treating others with
goodness and dignity, others too will be encouraged to behave in the same manner.
Violence, when answered with violence, gradually destroys the world. If the other person
behaves wrongly, why should we make ourselves wrong because of them? We should
respond with love so that the other person develops a sense of remorse and changes their
behavior. Violence, on the contrary, only strengthens a person’s aggressive tendencies. In
this regard, we should imbibe Kabir’s famous lines in our lives:
“Jo toko kāṇṭā buvai, tāhi boi tū phūl;
Toko phūl ko phūl hai, vāko hai trisūl.”
(If someone sows thorns in your path, sow flowers in theirs. Flowers remain flowers for you,
while thorns become a trident for them.)
A popular story about Buddha illustrates this principle. Once, a man showered Buddha
with abuses. Throughout the incident, Buddha remained calm, smiling peacefully.
Astonished, the man finally asked why Buddha was unaffected. Buddha replied, “If
someone offers you a gift and you refuse to accept it, to whom does the gift belong?” The
man answered, “To the giver.” Buddha then said, “In the same way, I did not accept your
insults, so they remain with you.” The man felt ashamed and sought forgiveness.
This story teaches us that if we transform ourselves, others may also draw inspiration from
us and change. Consequently, society and the nation too can gradually improve. Today, the
government is emphasizing cleanliness campaigns—from cleaning rivers such as the
Ganga to maintaining cleanliness in our homes and streets. Certainly, these are
commendable efforts. However, success requires not only governmental initiatives but
also collective action against both external and internal forms of pollution. No matter how
many conferences are organized, environmental degradation cannot be eliminated without
personal responsibility. Gandhi deeply valued cleanliness. He personally cleaned his
ashram and toilets and encouraged his followers to do the same, setting an example
through his own conduct. If every citizen consciously removes social evils from their own
life, it would not take long for the world to become free from many societal problems.
Our conduct should be inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy of “simple living and high thinking,”
where greater emphasis is placed on the purity of means rather than merely achieving
desired ends. In today’s world, where people often employ unethical means to achieve
objectives, Gandhi’s ideals become even more relevant. Modern materialistic civilization
has gradually eroded the humane qualities within us. It has transformed peaceful nights
into noisy spectacles and encouraged the pursuit of wealth and luxury at the expense of
nature. The race for money and possessions frequently diverts us from our true goals.
Albert Einstein once remarked about Gandhi:
“Future generations will scarcely believe that such a person, made of flesh and blood, ever
walked upon this earth.”
From South Africa to India, Gandhi consistently began every movement with self
transformation and remained steadfast until the end. Gradually, people joined him and his
caravan of followers grew. Rather than seeking quick victories such as immediate
independence or the expulsion of the British, Gandhi was concerned with finding lasting
solutions to poverty, illiteracy, and corruption. Regarding Gandhi, M. S. Moonje observed:
“He found disorder and transformed it into order; he found cowardice and turned it into
courage. Without employing violence or military power, he dismantled an imperial force
and gave birth to world peace.”
For social transformation, we all need to reform our habits, ideologies, lifestyles, and rigid
attitudes. We should embrace religion in its positive sense—as that which is worth
adopting and internalizing. Before expecting change from others, we must ask ourselves
what impact our own actions will have on the poorest and most marginalized individuals in
society.
Gandhi’s message can be beautifully summarized through a story:
Once, a forest caught fire. A small bird repeatedly flew to a river, filled its beak with water,
and dropped it onto the flames. Seeing this, a monkey laughed and asked, “Why are you
doing such a foolish thing? You can never extinguish the forest fire this way.” The bird
replied, “Perhaps I alone cannot put out the fire, but when the history of this forest is
written, my name will be counted among those who tried to extinguish the fire, not among
those who merely watched it burn.”
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