Come And Take My Things
- Michelle Wei
- Mar 15, 2019
- 3 min read
Similar to how my last post of the previous quarter was more personal, my last post of this quarter is going to steer away from the political rhetoric I’ve been going about on and more of a personal anecdote.
Throughout this quarter we’ve discussed Gandhi and his book Hind Swaraj. In his chapter about brutal force, Gandhi continues his banter with the Reader; this time focusing on why we shouldn’t try to obtain our goals by any means necessary (ie. violence and brutal force). Gandhi takes the Reader’s anecdote about needing to drive out the thief by any means necessary and explains that “...the force of love and pity is greater than the force of arms.” Thus, instead of punishing the thief, taking your revenge on him, and beginning a cycle of being in “perpetual fear of being robbed and assaulted”, one should “reason with him… take pity on him.” He asks what would happen if we showed the thief love and pity, welcomed them in, and figured out what is happening in their lives that would make them come into your home to steal. Now the thief is confused, and the more they think about it the more they consider changing their ways. (Gandhi 81-82).
A few months ago, I received a call from my cousin saying their house got robbed. Three large men broke into their home to steal their money, jewelry, and other goods. Luckily, they did not hurt her. However, her approach to the thieves shocked our entire extended family. She led them around the house, helping them find the money and jewels, and all the while, asking them why they were stealing and that there were better ways and opportunities for money.
At first, I thought she was crazy for even trying to talk to them. I would’ve been terrified. However, after discussing Gandhi’s resolutions, I realized that her approach did make sense: trying to talk someone out of doing something bad by helping them do it. Unfortunately, the three thieves did not think about changing their ways or begged her pardon, returned her family their things, and leave off the stealing habit” (Gandhi 82). They took off with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry, cash, and a Kobe Bryant jersey. Perhaps this is a matter of a difference in time periods or locations
Gandhi says we need to show Satyagraha or passive resistance. Passive resistance is the soul-force (Gandhi 93). Satyagraha cannot exist without fearlessness. “Those alone can follow the path of passive resistance who are free from fear, whether as to their possessions, false honour, their relatives, the government, bodily injuries, death” (Gandhi 96).
Comparing this idea of fearlessness with the virtue of courage, we can assume that fearlessness has little do with not caring about your safety. It has to do with being able to use love to open your mind to overcome your fear. A fearlessness of the thief breaking into house would allow you to respond by saying “take whatever you want, I’m not afraid.”
My cousin did just that. Without even knowing about Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj, she showed the same passive resistance. Her empathy to the struggles of the thieves allowed her to overcome her fear of the position she was put in. What is interesting is that although she is in her 20s, in many ways she is still like a child. Her personality and physical characteristics would cause many people to mistake her to be one. Thus, it begs the question that is this lack of fear due to a lack of understanding of the danger she was in? Children often have a greater source of empathy and compassion for those in less fortunate situations. Perhaps we ought to take a page from the kids and learn to love more.
Gandhi, Mohandas, 1909. Hind Swaraj and Other Writings. Cambridge ; New York :Cambridge University Press, 1997. Print.
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