For all parents, teachers, mentors, counselors, leaders…
Mahatma Gandhi was one of the most influential men of the twentieth century. His integrity, philosophy of nonviolent resistance, and unflinching courage were an inspiration to millions.
One time, a poor mother and her son walked all day to reach Gandhi to seek his help. The mother had come to ask the great teacher to tell her son to stop eating sugar, which he ate in excess. The compassionate man was silent for a bit, and then replied, “Come back in a week.” Bewildered, but obedient, mother and son departed as requested.
They came back in a week and Gandhi helped the two with their problem. At the end of their meeting, the mother asked Gandhi why he didn’t speak to her boy the first time. Gandhi replied in essence “Up until last week, I too ate too much sugar.”
I’m reading your three Gandhi blogs five years after they were written, but they’re not stale yet! And never will be, because the truths Gandhi taught and more importantly lived are timeless.
Here’s a timeless remark from another Gandhi-esque character of the late 19th/early 20th centuries which supports the punch line quote in your blog: “The reformer must be a hero at all points, and he must have conquered himself before he can conquer others” (Mary Baker Eddy’s Message for 1900, p. 9).