International Peace: Selections from “All Men are Brothers” by Mahatma Gandhi Ji (vegetarian), Part 1 of 2

Born in 1869, this passionate servant of humanity first became a lawyer. However, he felt a different calling from within as he discovered a fervent wish to improve the lives of all people. The beloved Mahatma Gandhi Ji (vegetarian) sometimes spoke about desired changes in government and would meditate and fast to encourage a non-violent and beneficial outcome. He thus became an example of peaceful change for an entire country. In his book, “All Men Are Brothers,” Mahatma Gandhi Ji (vegetarian) humbly reflects on his own life and inner realizations as a way to illustrate the unity of our global spiritual family. Today, we are pleased to share with you Mahatma Gandhi’s eloquent thoughts on International Peace from chapter 6 of his book, “All Men Are Brothers.”

“I do not believe that an individual may gain spiritually and those that surround [that person] suffer. I believe in advaita. I believe in the essential unity of [humanity] and for that matter of all that lives. Therefore, I believe that if one [person] gains spiritually, the whole world gains with [them] and, if one [person] falls, the whole world falls to that extent.”

“[Humankind] is one, seeing that all are equally subject to the moral law. All [people] are equal in God’s eyes. There are, of course, differences of race and status and the like, but the higher the status of a [person], the greater is [their] responsibility.”

“Duties to self, to the family, to the country and to the world are not independent of one another. One cannot do good to the country by injuring [themselves] or [their] family. Similarly, one cannot serve the country injuring the world at large. When the heart is pure, we at once realize what is our duty at every moment.”

“I live for India’s freedom and would die for it, because it is part of truth. Only a free India can worship the true God. I work for India’s freedom because my swadeshi teaches me that being born in it and having inherited her culture, I am fittest to serve her, and she has a prior claim to my service. But my patriotism is not exclusive; it is calculated not only not to hurt another nation but to benefit all in the true sense of the word. India’s freedom as conceived by me can never be a menace to the world.”