Şükrü Şener DEDEOĞLU
SEC: 1 20040046
Sussane scannon
SATYAGRAHA
‘The fight of Satyagraha is for the strong in spirit, not the doubter or the timid. Satyagraha teaches us the art of living as well as dying’ (Gandhi).
The name Mahatma Gandhi is known around the worldgreat weight some fifty plus years after his death. He will always be remembered with as the man who found non-violent movements, approaches, and how it is work. In article ‘A Modern Satyagraha’, Dr. Katherine Phelps contends that all societies want to live in real freedom, real peace and genuine happiness. It is like natural right that all people have to have this right when they born. In this point, people can achieve what they want easily if perform right process like passive resistance.
Satyagraha, Gandhi’s philosophy, is very essential and significant for societies that every unmoral and unjust thing can be eliminated by this philosophy but in real world satyagraha shouldn’t be used by other contemporary countries.Also this philosophy’s utilization can be seen by very developed and wealthy societies like Iran, Czechoslovakia, East German, and Soviet Union. Some of them became success, some of them not, so the main point is that in which situation or condition satyagraha is useful for societies.Some of the author discusses that satyagraha can not be used in some situation because of satyagraha’s function. Satyagaraha works too slow, it works only against easy enemies, it is not any relationship between cooperation and everything changes like gandhi’s life period and nowadays. But some of them advocate the usage of satyagraha that it will be very beneficial for societies. Firstly, people understand who Gandhi is and what satyagraha real means.
I want to give some brief information about gandhi’s life before I focus on the usage of his philosophy in contemporary societies because the relationship between England and Gandhi started very early if we look at his life. Gandhi is an Indian ‘nationalistic leader’ (1869-1948). Mahatma Gandhi ‘was born in Poe Bandar in Gujarat (Chada,1988).’ When Gandhi is about thirteen he married to a girl who was ‘choosen’ for him (Chada,1988). In 1869 Gandhi educated law at university in London.Then Gandhi was accepted by British Baro. British acceptation is very interesting and important because he did a lot of things against British government. After acceptation, Gandhi returned to his country and started to ‘law practice’ in Bombay. Then he started to work an Indian firm ‘as legal adviser in its office in Durban.’ So he figured out the civil and political rights of Indian immigrant are risked in South Africa. Because of this, hestarts to struggle for people’s natural rights.One of the most respected spiritual and political leaders of the twentieth century; Mohandas Gandhi spread his message of non-violent civil disobedience throughout India and several other British colonies.
I have to define some terms like satyagraha that is Gandhi’s philosophy, to make my topic more apprehensible. Satyagraha is Gandhi’s famous and one of the most important philosophies in his life period. Injustices in such society mean violation of somebody's rights. The above duty of civility includes the duty to defend the rights guaranteed by constitution. Civil disobedience gives an opportunity to resist injustice in adherence to the law.Passive resistance or in other words satyagraha is people’s respond against unjust or unmoral laws without using violence. Richards maintains that ‘it is the way in which ahimsa is implemented or put in action; it is th technique of non-violence (Richard,1991,pp48). ’ This philosophy is completely eliminated and excluded violence in its movement. Because this philosophy is very honored value that ‘the sword of satyagraha only love’ not violence (Harijan, 1946).‘The method of satyagraha requires that the satyagrahi should never lose hope, so long as
there is the slightest ground left for it’ (Gandhi). All satyagrahis -who share some idea about Gandhi’s philosophy-, have to trust and believe each other strongly. Also cooperation is very necessary.The most important thing is absolutetruth. ‘Truth’ and ‘reality’ will determine everything according to this philosophy ( Richard,1991). So the main purpose of this philosophy is getting and achieving the ‘absolute truth’. There for people can think satyagaraha ‘truth force’ because of ‘truth is soul or spirit’. People can say satyagaraha is ‘soul force’. The main purpose of the passive resistance is breaching the unmoral law without using unmoral law. It doesn’t mean like do anything against the unjust things like law; all people have to do something. Citizen should do something with get rid of violence either like refuse to pay taxes like Thoreau did or imprisonment like Gandhi did.
The time always goes and along with, everything is going to be change include some philosophies roots like nonviolence which is Gandhi’s philosophy’s root. ‘The philosophy of non-violence that has been developed through much of the twentieth century has made an indispensable contribution to all theories of legitimate revolutionary social change ( Martin, 2005 )’. Martin maintains in his article that the philosophy of non-violence changeable and it always modifies and converts with time. All philosophers who interests non-violent movement include Mahatma Gandhi, can’t see this term because in some situation people have to use violence. If this philosopher can understand the alteration in non-violence, they must be figure out this philosophy can not be work today. In deed non-violent all actions are very humane and it is the best way to show people’s respond against unjust or unmoral law. In theory, if all people use the process of non-violence in their all area, there is no harshness or vehemence. Also if all governments perform non-violence, like satyagraha, in their way to
govern it will be perfect. But unfortunately in practical, it is impossible, there are lots of evil in nowadays. They can do what they want with using violence. So satyagraha or in other
words passive resistance is not so logical to use. That would be utopian and may not even be desirable.
Some authors think that satyagraha is relevant in a new world that people can easily use it to show their desires or responsds.In article ‘Are Gandhi’s Ideas Relevant in a New South Africa?’ Author Reddy discusses about Gandhi’s ideas about resistance which is passive, in other words ‘satyagraha’ and he tries to understand if it is useful for other contemporary societies like Iran, Czechoslovakia, East German, Soviet Union. ‘ They have been developed and enriched – not only by him in the freedom movement in India- but by others in the struggles in many lands, particularly in the United States in the civil rights movement and the resistance to the Vietnam War, and, of course in South Africa since the 1940s’ (Reedy). The author maintains that Gandhi’s action and movement for freedom in India is very crucial for other countries freedom movement. For instance in United States in the civil rights movement and the resistance to the Vietnam War. ‘The regime of shah of Iran’ was ended by an essentially non violent movement, also ‘the regime of General Marcos in the Philippines’ was concluded again by non-violent movement like gandhi’s philosophy says. Because of peoples’, interest about ‘environment, liberation’ and political worries Gandhi’s idea relevant nearly all around the world. The main point in Gandhi’s Philosophy; satyagraha, is non-violent movement, he eliminate the violent in his all action, Gandhi thinks that if one unjust or unmoral things are occurred in society , all citizen have to do something and show their own respond to governed people without violence. He always defenses and maintains the requirement of laws in society; also he always can show his respect for these laws. But if something wrong in these rules, –especially if some of them revised laws for just someone’s
own purpose- he did something against the government. Unfortunately in some situation violent action shows itself very strongly. For example in South Africa there was an
extraordinary situation hundreds of people were killed by the political and security forces or in Algeria again a lot of people murdered for just political worries. Like this condition
regrettably satyagraha may not works. But we have to believe and try to understand the real meaning of this philosophy an people adapt satyagraha whatever evil thing arise. In deed, in Gandhi’s life period everything suits for satyagraha, but although Gandhi concern about people’s complains and annoyances, he also did this movement for his and his citizen’s honor and ‘the spirits of nationalism (Reedy).’ He thinks that everyone has to understand the real meaning of Gandhi’s philosophy and show their respond according to satyagraha. They have to develop their ideas with Gandhi ‘under extremely condition’.
According to some author there are some myths about Gandhi. In article ‘Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths’, Mark Shepard claims that Gandhi is not like everybody knows him that he is so different what people knows. So there are lots of myths is gandhi’s life period. For instance even his ideology is different. Shepard argues that ‘ there is nothing passive about Gandhian non-violent action.(Shepard)’ The main points of satyagraha is being passive but according to Shepard it is not. Gandhi’s movements are always seemed to be defensive but in fact it is always offensive. Also there is no relation ship between being passive and being offense. They are totally different.
Unfortunately just the way of using satyagraha is defective and disqualified .Shepard analyses that Gandhi practiced satyagraha with imprisonment. First you break an unmoral law and you arrested. Then other satyagrahi – Gandhi’s follower- do same thing what Gandhi did. So all the jails are filled by satyagrahi that government can’t control his prison. They start to
loose their authority under criminals. So government must remove the law and satgyagraha achieve. In this situation the most important thing is core of his movement. Satyagraha’s
purpose is not to fill the jails. The real purpose of his ideology is caring some matter deeply. He care and pay attention this issue very much that he risks his life without fear. Shepard
maintains that he want to ‘take legal penalties, to sit in this prison cell, to sacrifice his freedom, in order to show you how deeply he care (Shepard). It seems very pretty and
beneficial to use in our worlds. But unfortunately it is impossible. In his life period it worked but now the entire situation was changed. Just breaking a law politely and arrested is not efficient way to solve all problems. Love is not enough to eliminate the real evil power.
Cooperation is very crucial and essential in civil disobedience. If you want to show your responds to authority, you have to supply majority. Disobedience can’t be occurred without majority. Majority power has more beneficial and advantageous than individual power. Shepard declares that satyagraha is ‘noncooperation’. The satyagraha was developed by obeying someone’s order. When Gandhi arrested, all admires understand that they have to be in jail too. It is Gandhi’s order to do some thing same what he did. He tried to provide majority with just his order. But in deed it is not best way to form a majority. Shepard locates ‘what happens if those people begin to say that they are not afraid of prison even willing to die but not willing to obey you any longer (Shepard)’. Then everything will be finished, satyagraha won’t be works. So regrettably the usage of satyagraha is impossible in nowadays.
Non-violent resistance only materializes against ‘easy enemies like British. Shepard focuses onif you want to make ‘civil disobedience against Soviets, Central American dictators or Nazis’ you won’t be success. For instance, French killed 800.000 Algerians during Algeria’s war of independence (Shepard) and ‘some 75000 people heve been killed so far in El Salvador more in Guatemala (Reedy).’ Think about if Jews showed their responds
with passive resistance to Nazis, what they conclude and achieve. Although the only wrong thing that Jews did are being just Jews. So how can this people show their rights to Hitler?
Hitler only one who wanted to get rid of those Jews what kind of way he found. In this position satyagraha will be unusable and unavailable.
In other perspective¸ nonviolent action works just too slow. People can not wait in very bad condition, ‘suffering injustice, slavery starvation, murder (Shepard)’. How can people expect to citizen be patient in this circumstances. It doesn’t mean violence is the one
way that we have to use only action but in fact there are a lots of evil in our worlds, we cant struggle with only love it is realistic and also impossible. Briefly according to Shepard non-violence resistance works only in our Utopia not at the present time.
In conclusion, if people think that there are unmoral and unjust laws in society, they have to do something. They shouldn’t wait just their destiny. We all human beings and all human have to have thought rights. People can think and decide. People shouldn’t let this people to take these rights away from us. But regrettably there are lots of evil today like Usama Bin Ladin, Saddam or other millions of his followers. We don’t live in utopia or in dream that everything goes on brilliant. Unfortunately, this people are able to do what they want to conclude their purpose. People can understand that non-violent is so humane thing which all people have to understand that it is the one of the best way to show people’s respond to authorities. But against greatest evil non-violent action isn’t enough to solve all problem. How can you solve the Usama Bin Ladin’s plans without using violence? Also against this people everything becomes important. For example time or enemies character becomes more crucial. Because non-violence movement works slowly and only works against easy enemy, people shouldn’t use it.
1