Colleen Kane Reader Response 1

Reader Response 1

Colleen Kane

ENG-201-LN

The nonviolent leader and spiritual worshipper, Mohandas K. Gandhi, is best known for his civil rights activism which he revealed in his autobiography, “The Story of My Experiments with Truth.”  His courageous movement stemmed from India’s struggles to gain independence from Great Britain after World War 1.  Gandhi was even imprisoned several times for his political refusals, and partook in a number of hunger strikes to protest the cruelty of India’s lower classes, among other prejudices.  His devotion to make a change led him to become an inspirational public figure who impacted the world with his self-realization and spirituality.

Through self-realization, Gandhi was able to fulfill his search for truth by striving to live by his moral responsibilities and gain strength from his experiments.  In the excerpt, “Shyness My Shield,” Gandhi was able to overcome his shyness by embracing his weaknesses.  The passage reads, “My shyness has been in reality my shield and buckler” (Gandhi 1).  This defiant statement indicates that Gandhi does not regret any of his meaningless words because they aided in his self-growth.  He recognized that silence is part of spiritual discipline and helps to reveal truth.  Gandhi’s ethical values ultimately impacted his experiments.  In “On the Way to Pretoria,” he vows to fulfill his obligation to fight racist injustice.  Gandhi refuses to leave his first class seat: “’I tell you, I was permitted to travel in this compartment at Durban, and I insist on going on in it’” (Gandhi 2).  This bold act of courage sent a powerful message to all the other people affected by the same societal hardships.  Gandhi’s fearlessness proved that he is a natural leader and is always willing to fight for what he believes in.  He continuously preaches his divine ideas with a purpose of narrating his experiments with truth.  Gandhi’s “Introduction” voices his main goal of being a worshipper of God.  He states, “This truth is not only truthfulness in word, but truthfulness in thought also, and not only the relative truth of our conception, but the Absolute Truth, The Eternal Principle that is God” (Gandhi 3).  Gandhi efforts to reach people of all ages is what is what was most important to himself and his moral duty to God.  He is a peaceful man who is committed to significant thoughts with a spiritual point of view.  This allowed Gandhi to be successful in embracing his failings and grow through his life experiences to find truth.               

Though Gandhi’s achievements were flawed, they illustrated how his self-doubt and cultural struggles helped to impact his discovery of truth while strengthening the lives of others.  He believed that his sole purpose was to learn through his spiritual values by accepting his weaknesses and vowing to be meaningful to himself and through the word of God. He was always prepared to sacrifice for Him.