Gandhian Fearlessness

Gandhi Blog Series #14

Fear is a thing which I dislike. Why should one man be afraid of another man? Man should stand in fear of God alone, and then he can shed all other fears.

Gandhi (Harijan, 5-1-1947, p. 477)

The last blog discussed the bravery demanded by Gandhian philosophy from its follower. It would suffice here to say that a Satyagrahi is not to have a shred of fear in his being. Only then can he calmly face every harm inflicted on him by the evildoer.

Gandhi was the epitome of fearlessness. Though he was a frail old man clad in loincloth he was not afraid to stand against the mighty British empire. No amount of threats, physical force and humiliation could crush his strong will.

Throughout his life, Gandhi demonstrated his indomitable spirit not only through his words, but with his deeds.

A Fearless Being

During his long life as a social reformer, Gandhi faced many forms of oppression, mostly from powerful individuals or authorities. But all of them ultimately buckled under Gandhi’s strong power of will. There are many instances in his life which proved his bravery.

While leading the struggle for the right of the oppressed in South Africa, he was stoned and beaten up by a mob of racists. He suffered from broken ribs and barely survived. But this heinous act did not move Gandhi even by an inch. As soon as he walked out of the hospital, he resumed his struggle against racism.

The colonialist government in South Africa feared that Gandhi would overthrow their tyrannical rule and did everything in their power to torture him. To this end, he was imprisoned four times and tortured by the police. But all this cruelty could not stop him from achieving his goal.

While leading the freedom struggle in India, he was jailed on six occasions, spending a total of almost seven years behind bars. But Gandhi never resisted arrest nor showed any fear of being locked up and possibly tortured by the authorities. He also faced rebuke and death threats from the upper caste in the society for his efforts for social reform.

The greatest display of his fearlessness came at the time of the partition of India. During the riots that ensued following the division of India, he traveled solo to the riot-affected villages in Noakhali, preaching the message of brotherhood. Even the police and armed forces feared the area as it was the epicenter of violence. 

But Gandhi was a fearless being with an unstoppable force of will.

Fear and Violence

“My creed of nonviolence is an extremely active force. It has no room for cowardice or even weakness. There is hope for a violent man to be some day non-violent, but there is none for a coward.”

(Young India, 16-6-1927, p196)

Many regard pacifism as cowardice. They maintain that the fear of fighting gives rise to nonviolence. For them, animalistic urges like anger and violence are signs of bravery. But Gandhi held a different view.

Gandhi preached that violence stems from fear. It is an instinctual response to fearful circumstances. To succumb to violence is easy, but to choose the high road is difficult. Those who understand the level of self-mastery needed to resist the violent temperament cannot help but respect the ideologies of Ahimsa and Satyagraha.

Identifying his own fear

“Fear is a disease worse than malaria or kalaazar; these diseases kill the body, fear kills the soul.”

Mahatma; T G Tendulkar- Vol 2- Pg 304

In his autobiography, Gandhi narrates how introverted and shy he was as a child and teenager. He was afraid of ghosts and evil spirits as a boy. Even as an adolescent he could not bear to talk to strangers. When he had to talk at a going-away party organized to give him farewell, he was so overcome with stage fright that without uttering a single word of thanks, he stumbled back to his chair.

Later Gandhi thought long and hard about his incapability and became aware of the deeply hidden fears in his psyche. He addressed his fears and blotted them out completely. In the process, he realized how crippling the instinct could be.

Gandhi understood that fear is created and manipulated by the oppressor to control the poor. He made it his life’s mission to equip people to face their fears. He explained the science of fear and demanded his followers fight against it.

Excommunicating Fear

“There would be no one to frighten you if you refuse to be afraid.”

Mahatma, T G Tendulkar- Vol 2- Pg 304

Like every urge, Gandhi argued, fear also needs the compliance of its victim. Those who manipulate and oppress people with the emotion rely on the belief that the oppressed will not question what they fear. But once they start facing it, its powerful grip loosens.

Contrary to common belief, Gandhi concluded that violence is an expression of hidden fear. People resort to fighting when they become afraid. In its dire form, people even lose the capacity to think and act. So he advocated the total purging of fear from the person’s heart.

“My nonviolence does admit of people, who cannot or will not be non-violent, holding and making effective use of arms. Let me repeat for the thousandth time that nonviolence is of the strongest, not of the weak.”

(Young India, 8-5-1941)

Imbibing Gandhian Bravery

For Gandhi, his spiritual and social lives were one and the same. Inspecting human nature, he understood that to progress in both, one has to transcend fear. He held that only a truly spiritual being can do so. He pointed his disciples in this direction again and again.

“Perfect fearlessness can be attained only by him who has realized the Supreme, as it implies the height of freedom from delusions. But one can always progress towards this goal by determined and constant endeavour and by increasing confidence in oneself….”

Gandhi

Thus Gandhian philosophy redefined bravery as the unconditioned love even in the face of threatening situations. It ultimately led the ardent follower towards spiritual realization.

To our generation filled with fears hitherto unknown to the human race, Gandhi whispers the mantra of fearlessness. Can we slay the dragon of fear using the sword of love and shield of non-violence and enter into the spiritual realm as he envisioned?

Thank you for reading. Please let me know your thoughts in the comment box below.