Leaders play a critical role of achieving genuine happiness of their people. A good and capable leader leads his/her people and country to peace, economic and social prosperity and political success. However, a cruel and incapable leader brings sufferings to his/her people and ultimately ruins the country. Apart from being educated and experienced, leaders must also be compassionate and sensible to the problems faced by their people. World leaders usually win the people’s trust by being friendly and avoiding any war or provocation with neighboring countries and providing a high degree of transparency in the daily governance of the country.
Mahatma Gandhi, a foremost spiritual and political leader of India, had nonviolent actions, hence avoiding any bloodshed in the country during India’s struggle for Independence. He had a personality of caring about people of all races. He is a hero because he was an inspirational leader who transformed the world in many ways. Gandhi fought for India’s freedom which resulted to India’s Independence from British rule. He was a marvelous speaker who supported peaceful movement (Dalton 20). For more than two centuries of British rule, few people in India effectively fought back against the British. Gandhi brought fresh energy to the struggle for independence due to his determination for India. Gandhi was helping some Indians in South Africa. Upon his return to India, he started a battle against the British. Instead of supporting the Indians to get forces and arms, he developed a policy of non-violent protest. He believed that non-violence is a weapon for the brave. Indians organized protests and demonstrations for twenty years, by strikes and marching, the Indians brought down the British rule. Many leaders in today's world look upon Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and kindhearted nature.
Throughout his life, Mahatma Gandhi used only peaceful means to accomplish his goal. He was deeply involved to getting Moslems and Hindus to live together peacefully. One occasion of his efforts to use non-violent means to get what he wanted was his two hundred and thirty-kilometer walk to the ocean to extract salt illegally in protest of Britain's salt monopoly in India (Dalton 178). Other non-violent acts that he used as means to convince the government to listen to his grievances were his six to twenty-one day fasts. At one time, he abstained from food to force his release from prison. If he died of hunger, the prison would have been held responsible and major pressure would be put on it to close down.
Gandhi believed that the power of love truly could overcome anything. He believed that worst wrongdoer could be transformed to follow the correct path of non-violence. Much of Gandhi’s ideas of non-violence were influenced by Hindu traditions, particularly, ahimsa. Gandhi preached ahimsa as a positive state of love, of doing good and just even to the evil-doer. Ahimsa, in Gandhi’s view, went beyond the term non-violence (Dalton 54). He believed violence was a quick fix to solve a problem, but only worsened things in the long run. The only way the problem could be settled was through non-violence, as Gandhi learned over years of experience. He believed that a nonviolent path was not a path of the fearful or the cowardly, but the path of the highest form of fearlessness. Another practice of good leadership was Gandhi’s passive resistance. Gandhi used non-violence approach, because he believed that by using passive resistance, only the person practicing it can be hard, or personal suffering. He often called this method the reverse of resistance by arms, because no harm was done to anyone (Dalton 54).
Gandhi walked his talk at every level and in every way. He practiced his word at every possible level. He also treated others fairly. He never had a patronizing element but always looked at everyone as equals. When it came to personal possessions, he had the barest of minimum. His writings and letters to other leaders in India and the world demonstrated great humility and respect for other people. Today’s leaders should learn from Gandhi’s legacy and serve people instead of embezzling what belongs to the public.
A good leader must be compassionate. No one can make a good leader unless he/she love people. This can help the leader get the best out of the people. No matter what credential one has and how much experience he/she has in administration, without being compassionate no one can ever become responsible and successful leader. Therefore, a leader must first be concerned for the people, without being influenced by any ulterior motive. Secondly, a leader must be a good administrator and far-sighted. He/she must be able to shape his/her government and people, in a way, that it would reach the grass root level. No part of the society should be left out. Policy or scheme initiated for the interest of public must be affected in such way that it should not get corrupt and politicized during the process of implementation. Administration should identify and reach the problems being faced by public and address them on time without unnecessary delay. Above all, leaders must know well the interest of their people (Dalton 190). Lastly, when one step up and answer the call to lead others, he/she also accept the responsibility to serve the people that he/she represents, to protect people’s interests and promote their course.
Work Cited
Dalton, Dennis. Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993. Print.
