Satyagraha: Non-violence Through Gandhi’s Eyes

Satyagraha, or Gandhian nonviolence, has been a key concept in several successful non-violent demonstrations and movements. Satyagraha is made up of three core concepts: satya, ahimsa, and tapasya. Satya means truth. In non-violent demonstrations, Mahatma Gandhi followed the truth that everyone is interconnected. Interconnection is the concept that we are all a part of God, Brahman, or whatever deity you believe in. Ahimsa is the idea of nonviolence. If you believe that every one is interconnected then you demand ahimsa. Finally tapasya, willingness to self-sacrifice, is necessary for a nonviolent movement. You have to be able to put everyone else before yourself for the greater good.

Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Satyagraha has been the inspiration for non-violent actions such as the African American sit ins (http://www.ushistory.org/us/54d.asp). Without this inspiration, the sit-ins would never be successful in ending segregation. Every time people participated in one these sit-ins, they risked their lives just to stand up for a cause and make a mark on the world. Their use of ahimsa, non-violence, to fight back against violence and segregation showed self-control and determination. The idea of karma comes in to play in these peaceful demonstrations as well. If anyone were to act violently, the whole sit in would have been ruined and pointless. Also violent actions would come back to haunt them as well as all the other people who participated because the segregation would be just as bad if not worse. Fighting back would justify the white people’s actions against them. The African Americans who participated followed their truth, didn’t act violently, and were ready to sacrifice themselves, creating a true Gandhian non-violent protest.