Be the Change you want to See in Others – Gandhiji | HPSC Preparation: All subjects - HPSC (Haryana) PDF Download

Philosophy

Most of us have heard this quote by Gandhi, and many of us have been influenced by it so much that we have imbibed it in our lives. However, not many know the story behind it.

Introduction

Hundreds of visitors came to meet Gandhi every day. One day, a woman came with her son to meet Gandhi. She wanted him to speak to her son about his habit of eating sugar. After listening to her, Gandhi asked the woman to come with her son after two weeks. She was surprised that Gandhi had asked them to come after two weeks without speaking to her son. She was confused but reluctantly went back.
The mother and son came back two weeks later and waited for a few hours before meeting Gandhi. On persistent request by the woman, Gandhi agreed to speak to her son. He explained why eating sugar was not good for him and how he should get rid of this habit. The mother thanked Gandhi for counselling her son but couldn’t help asking him why he hadn’t done the same when they were there two weeks ago.
Gandhi explained to the woman that when they had visited him earlier, he too had this habit of eating sugar and that he couldn’t ask anyone to leave something when he himself was addicted to it. Now that he had given up his sugar eating habit, he was morally in a position to explain the perils of eating sugar to the child.

Change Begins With You

The lesson learnt from the above story is that if you want to see a change in society, that change must happen first. When you are trying to teach something to somebody, it is important that you too abide by that teaching. Practice what you preach, as they say. Unless you do that, there will not be any conviction in what you teach, and people may not take you seriously.
The best leaders and reformers in the world are men and women of principles. They take responsibility and accountability for the change they want to see in the world. The commitment to change has to come from within. And when there is commitment, there is no place for any excuse.
There are many ways to make a positive difference in people's lives, and there are many things we can do to make our lives more meaningful. Everyone can do it, but before we think about society, we have to bring about that change in ourselves. That is, if we want to change the world, we need to change ourselves first.
Gandhi is a revered personality who has inspired the human rights movement across the world. He led a simple life that had no room for violence and preached the same to the world. The quote, “you must be the change you want to see in this world”, is attributed to Gandhi and is probably the most frequently used statement. The simplicity of the statement has universal appeal. It is easy to understand what the statement wants to portray, and everyone can relate to it. The phrase “be the change” puts the onus for change on you. You have to be at centre of the change you want to see in others. And for that, there has to be honesty of commitment.
When you whole heartedly want to see the world in a particular state, and your desire to accomplish that is strong enough, you have to show determination and put all your efforts into reaching your goal. When this happens, it is immaterial whether you are the leader or the follower in the quest to bring about this positive change. Leaders can only show us the way, but the effort has to be collective, and every participant has to think of himself as the centre of that change. No change is possible unless you want it and are ready to change yourself for the larger goal. You have to make the change happen, there is no point wanting or wishing it would happen.
The change does not necessarily have to be big nor needs to encompass a lot of people. Even a small change can make a big difference. The motivation to bring about a change is what really matters. For instance, if you want people to be happy, then you have to be happy yourself. It is often seen that people blame others for their unhappiness and find fault in them. You have to change your attitude towards others and stop blaming them for your miseries. You also have to make sure that you don’t hurt them with your actions. Only then can people with whom you want to bring about this change can take inspiration from you and inculcate this attitude. It doesn’t matter how many people you influence for good, what is important is that you make a sincere effort. As Gandhi said, “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but you must do it.”

Commitment to Change

When your desire to bring about a change is strong, you will have to commit yourself that you will go all out and take every possible step to achieve that goal. If you have the conviction, you will overcome whatever challenges or difficulties that might come your way.
There are bound to be obstacles in your path, but your determination and perseverance will take you through. For instance, in the example cited above about making people happy, you may come across a person who is a tough nut to crack. He could be totally against you and might even be abusive and might rebuff all your overtures. The key here is not to get disheartened but continue with your efforts to convince the person. If you ignore him because you feel humiliated by his actions, that shows a lack of commitment. If you are committed to making people happy, you will not stop short of making any effort that might be required to achieve your goal.

Conclusion

There have only been a handful of leaders who could influence change to the extent and scale Mahatma Gandhi could. He led by example and lived the life he wanted others to follow. Many great leaders worldwide, such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Dalai Lama, who all came after Gandhi, have taken inspiration from him in leading their movement and struggle for change in their own respective ways.
Gandhi’s philosophy on change continues to inspire millions of people even today.