Violence has today become a matter of grave concern for communities across the globe and more so for those that are most affected by it. Sadly, there appears to be no sign of it stopping anytime in the near future. Not a day passes without news of violence not being reported and the issue of violence therefore remains the mother of all dilemmas. The recent crisis in the Middle East appears to be taking a turn for the worst and the vicious cycle of violent acts on the part of both Israel and the Hizbollah guerrillas has only aggravated the violence there. Likewise, for the Naga community as well it is a matter of concern that violence today threatens to destroy the very fabric of its existence. How to stop violence and generate the atmosphere for peaceful co-existence therefore remains the greatest challenge both in the Middle East and in the Naga homeland. In both cases, there is a need for immediate mediation to take place. Mediation however cannot be a stop-gap arrangement but it has to be a process that is well planned and timed and must take into consideration a realistic appraisal of the situation.
Whenever one talks of violence, Mahatma Gandhi, the prophet of non-violence immediately comes to mind and today more than ever before, the world must reflect on his teachings. Gandhi was a philosopher of the politics of peaceful protest. His basic aim was to find out how a law abiding citizen or group should resist constitutional authority and provided a definite guide for peaceful conflict resolution. Gandhi was aware about history where fighting evil with evil only accentuated evil and violence. If ever the purpose is to put an end to violence then it surely cannot be done through the use of violent methods. Another powerful message that the world can learn from Gandhi is his notion of satyagraha. That no one is wholly right or wrong. Such an attitude leads to the conversion of enemies into friends and resolution of points of conflict into points of agreement acceptable to both. How many of us in the State, Society and Church can relate (in practice) to this profound message?
Gandhi is more relevant today. It is a kind of resurrection. It would not be wrong to say that he is the most remembered thinker today in view of the world crisis which is also the crisis of western civilization. Gandhi had forewarned about this crisis in the beginning of the 20th century in his most controversial work, the ‘Hind Swaraj’. For Gandhi, materialist values was represented by industrialism and idealization of the machine and the dominance of force; consumerism ie maximization of consumption to sustain maximum production; survival of the fittest ie acquisition of more powers, developing dangerous weapons and cut throat competition.
The spiritual values of freedom, equality and fraternity as practiced today have been distorted to a large extent by these material values. Freedom has come to symbolize the freedom of the few while equality has been tarnished by discrimination and as for fraternity, the less we talk about, the better. Gandhi during his lifetime demonstrated the correct meaning of these values. He was the finest opponent of the concept of freedom, the inalienable right of all human beings. The crisis of today is mainly due to the fact that it has failed to resolve the conflicting claims of freedom, equality and fraternity. Arms and violence cannot ensure freedom and peace. Similarly consumerism cannot eliminate poverty. Corrupt money certainly cannot bring prosperity and happiness to society. Hegemony cannot foster fraternity or the equal respect for one’s rights. In today’s world where the power of materialism and violence has taken root, it is time for nations and communities to go back to the teachings of Gandhi and re-learn the politics of peace.
