Gandhi With the Wind

Mahatma Gandhi. I think it's safe to say that when we all hear that name, the same words cross all of our minds: peace, love, compassion, bravery, spirituality, etc. We all have this perfect image of Gandhi cemented into our brains. Even if you have never studied him, or read any of his works, you most likely have predetermined notions of him being an ideal and respectable figure in history. We all idolize him and his beliefs and ideas still continue to inspire and move people all over the world. So, if you were to find faults in his convictions, would you still worship him?

I oftentimes found myself in shock while reading Hind Swaraj for class. This happened particularly in chapter five of his book, in which Gandhi compares Parliament to a "sterile woman." According to Gandhi, this is because Parliament "has not yet, of its own accord, done a single good thing" (29). Here Gandhi makes it apparent that he believes that the sole role of women is to produce children, and that they are useless if they cannot conceive. I sat there unable to comprehend what I read because surely Gandhi, history's defender of equality, could not have such ill notions of women. But alas, he further controversially compares Parliament to a prostitute, meaning the men in Parliament move to the will of the public rather their own entity, are in a constant state of inconsistency, and are only motivated by monetary value (29). Further in the book in chapter 8, he emphasizes the need for masculine strength.

Evidently through his writings, Gandhi proves to be sexist and sees women as inferior beings, shattering the ideal vision that he upholds. It could be that during the time of Indian oppression in the British empire, women's rights were not of utmost urgency and had to take a back seat in the fight for justice. However, that should not excuse the misogyny that Gandhi openly expressed. What's more unsettling however, is how little this is talked about. We are not taught of his ill actions but continue to place him on a pedestal for model behavior and mental purity. This reflects the human tendency to forsake negative aspects of people who are revered. Despite their wrongdoings, we still praise figures due to their prominence and the fact that we wish to keep their ideal image alive. Figures like Gandhi are revered so much that it becomes difficult for the public to view them as anything besides such; history widely paints Gandhi as the perfect and pure leader, making it hard to accept facts that gear us away from that perception. Even though we see the faults of public figures, we try hard to excuse them because history paints them in one dimensional terms. It is this blind spot, that allows us to view people and things in one way, that we must try hard to stray away from. That does not mean that people like Gandhi are not worthy of our praise; that is far from the takeaway. He has been an important champion for Indian rights and is widely known to be a great spiritual and political leader and it's important to acknowledge his positive contributions. But it likewise important to analyze him and others in more than one dimensional way, and instead take a middle ground in which their vices are not belittled and overlooked because they are such famous and loved people.

Humans exist in a grey area; no one is completely good. People have vices and they shouldn't be overlooked and belittled but should be openly evaluated and discussed. Only then can you truly understand someone and what context they are coming from.

It is important to educate yourself on someone before you idolize them. Know who you worship, who you base your belief system on, who's quotes you get tattooed in cursive on your body. Don't be quick to excuse and validate the faults you see in others.