Becoming Gandhi

Book excerpt: The fascinating quest of a New York Times contributor to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s code of ethics in modern times—and to discover what it actually takes to “Be the change you want to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi championed truth and nonviolence, led the struggle for India’s independence, and staunchly stood up for the marginalized. “When I despair,” he said, “I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won.” In Becoming Gandhi, veteran journalist and author Perry Garfinkel sets out on a three-year quest to examine how Gandhi’s ideals have held up in a world beset by troubling trends. “As I saw myself and society moving further away from a moral point of view,” Garfinkel states, “I wanted to see if an ordinary person living in the 21st century could, like Gandhi, follow a morally driven game plan.” While tracing Gandhi’s legacy through India, England, South Africa, and even American communities where his spirit endures, Garfinkel attempts to follow six of the key principles that guided the Mahatma’s life: • Truth—Practicing honesty in thoughts, words, and actions in an increasingly artificial world • Nonviolence—Choosing peace in our words, behavior, and even choice of entertainment • Vegetarianism—The complex ethics of deciding what we put in our mouths • Simplicity—How to find practical antidotes to conspicuous consumer culture • Faith—Exploring the meaning of our lives and our relationship with what we cannot know • Celibacy (wait, really?)—The search for a moral path between permissiveness and abstinence To many, Gandhi was a beacon of hope; to others, a lightning rod for controversy. As Perry Garfinkel found, walking (and even stumbling) in Gandhi’s footsteps can reveal how we each have a role to play in creating a more compassionate, peaceful world. “Being Gandhi is unattainable,” Garfinkel observes. “But becoming more Gandhi-like will continue to engage me as long as I live. How about you?”