Tuesday, May 15, 2012
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Friday, May 11, 2012
Gitmo or Gandhi?
Gitmo or Gandhi?
Ed and Deb Shapiro
I
object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only
temporary; the evil it does is permanent. –Mahatma
Gandhi, YI, 2I-5-25, I78.
The prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, built on a legacy of
fear, was established to deal with violent terrorists, but instead became the
cause of further suffering and chaos. It is a prime example of the mindless,
cruel and inhuman way we abuse our fellow human beings. For, despite whatever
these men may or may not have done, they are human beings and inflicting pain,
especially the methods used at Gitmo, achieves nothing but further pain. Two
wrongs do not make a right; to meet violence with more violence does not bring
peace. Closing Gitmo does not say we condone violence, but that we do not
intend to continue to act in such a barbaric way.
Of course, there are those who oppose closing the camp.
Fear is a powerful seductress waiting around every corner to grab our
attention; hatred is like a snake always ready to bite. The nature of fear is
to hold us back, to keep us in a place of closed heartedness. It will create an
enemy even if one does not exist. Being fearless does not mean we have to stop
or deny the fear; fearlessness is not a state of being without fear. Rather, it
is fully feeling the fear, getting to know it, and then making friends with it.
Gender Perspective on Education and Peace
Gender Perspective on Education and Peace
Director,
PGSR, SNDT Women's University, Mumbai
Peace of course can have two faces, two forms- Public and
private. Peace in the community, go hand-in-hand with the peace in the family life.
Hence the need to deal with domestic violence and women’s grievances. There may
be an apparent stability and absence of conflict in situations of successful
intense repression-beating, abuses, psychological torture wherein all dissent
is brutally, immediately, and surgically suppressed. This is a condition in
which only one group (men, in-laws, bully neighbours) dominates, in which
women’s views and dignity is not allowed to exist. The other situation is
one in which democracy and human rights reach their pinnacle in each and every
core of the community and domestic lives. It is the condition in which there
are always avenues of settlement of differences and disputes without a
breakdown of the framework of mutual respect, recognition of the rights of the
other, and belief in good faith of the ‘adversary’. It is the condition in
which negotiations and persuasion are the methods of overcoming even major
digressions in points of view. It is a condition in which people have the right
to be different and where difference is not denied. It is also the state of
affairs in which difference is not a cause of hierarchy, where the other is not
the enemy or the lower or the higher being.
Relevance of Gandhi's views on Economic Development
Relevance of Gandhi's views on Economic Development
By
Gulabhai Jani
Translated
into English by Alaka Sharma
The
world economic order is in “crisis mode”. Well-known companies and banks of USA
are declaring themselves as bankrupt, one by one. It is feared that the economy
may slide down to the days of “Great Depression”. In this context, it is
worthwhile to have a look at the economic thoughts of M. K. Gandhi.
Gandhiji’s
economic thought is imbibed in his overall philosophy. His approach is holistic
and aims at the socio-economic reconstruction of society. Once, Gandhiji was asked
to write down the text of his economic thought, he refused, saying that his
framework is based on some basic principles which he applies to solve the day
to day practical problems. So it can’t be summarized in a few equations.
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