Gandhi's grandson applauds non-violent protest

Published yesterday (updated) 06/04/2010 11:49


Ramallah – Ma'an – Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of the late Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, visited the West Bank village of Bil'in on Monday, accompanied by Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouti.

Gandhi applauded what he described as Bil'in's "modern struggle," adding that "the whole world knows of Bil'in's activists, and it is a model for modern popular resistance. There will come a day when the Israelis learn that their settlements and separation wall vanish and will be destroyed as a result of the injustice and tyranny they practice."

He added that "It is our duty to awaken the international community, and to call attention to what is going on in Palestine, and seek support for the Palestinian people and their just cause."

Received by members of the local village council and the Popular Committee Against the Wall, Gandhi and his delegation heard committee member Muhammad Al-Khatib speak of Bil'in's form of non-violent resistance during the past five years, highlighting its achievements and the participation of international activists and sympathizers who "played a major part in this resistance."

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http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=274216

power-mad zealots will destroy everything.

That is what is at stake in every conflict area. The crimes of the settlers here against the native people are small in scale compared to those of nations who commit mass murders across continents or the whole planet, but they are the same crimes. Only the numbers vary.

This is not a condemnation of resistance "by any means." That will happen and escalate as injustices accumulate. That is a form of justifiable self-defense by those who are oppressed, starved and slaughtered. But it is not a winning or wise strategy. "Pain compliance" can't work for the weaker party when neither can leave the arena.

As an atheist from childhood I've looked a lot at various ways of understanding the world including most religious systems and discovered that within every broad grouping there are usually many strands and conflicts, some dominant and some 'heretics.' Some where the teachings are given lip service and but otherwise ignored.

So, for those who hold the view that the greater good is better than greater injustice, that less human suffering is better than more, how to act, how to judge?

The best generic guide I've found is Buddhism's Noble_Eightfold_Path
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path . Sri Lanka shows being Buddhist does not mean the government or people follow it, same those in power where any one religion is dominant everywhere except maybe Bhutan. But apart from the magical mystical afterlife and invisible-supernatural-deities-which-give-out-land-titles-and-free-passes-for-murdering nonsense, it seems to be something people of good will toward others, regardless of affiliation, would accept as good guidance. As usual for writings regarded as religious, yhere are several conflicting and antagonistic ways these ideas get interpreted, and several factions.

Of course, buried by centuries of nonsense religionist spinning and obscured by by the author's long-ago world-view, it is ambiguous. But still, one version, - from : http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/intro_bud.htm

"The sixth aspect of the path is right effort. Wrong effort is struggle. We often approach a spiritual discipline as though we need to conquer our evil side and promote our good side. We are locked in combat with ourselves and try to obliterate the tiniest negative tendency. Right effort doesn't involve struggle at all. When we see things as they are, we can work with them, gently and without any kind of aggression whatsoever."

Of course, there's a lot of smoke and mirrors and serve-the-powers-that-be blather added onto the original observations, so I'd recommend against joining any cult, even Buddhist ones.

But there are some common insights and principles that are present in all religions, such as this one (and including the supremacist opposites, which get revealed here often).

(edit to fix one typo)