How Did Gandhi Contribute To Civil Disobedience

Mohandas K. Gandhi, an Indian nationalist who advocated civil disobedience, said, “You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.”. In other words, Gandhi means that no amount of agony will cause him to change his beliefs. He implies that no matter what way he experiences abuse, the British will not be able to stop him and his fight for independence. No physical barrier can hinder Gandhi’s capability to stand for what he believes in. Throughout his life, Gandhi crossed paths with the police and was in and out of jail. In 1922, Gandhi was sentenced to 6 years in prison for sedition. When the court allowed Gandhi to plea, he did not defend himself and he said that he is guilty as charged and will take the most severe punishment. This shows that Gandhi stood up for what he believed in and was able to accept his consequences.

Another example of this would be the outright discrimination Gandhi faced on his way to South Africa. As Gandhi was riding the train to South Africa, the train attendee told Gandhi that he had to move from his first-class seat and sit in third class. When Gandhi told the man that he was an attorney and always traveled first class, the attendant laughed and told him that there were no colored attorneys. Even when Gandhi was given the option to move to the third class seating, Gandhi stayed and stuck with what he believed in. As a result, Gandhi was kicked off the train. Gandhi wanted an equal society where no race or religion was superior to another. Despite the harsh treatment Gandhi faced on the train, he was still motivated to strive for equality of all. Gandhi expressed this by adopting some ethics from the Bible, such as loving the people near you just as much as you love yourself. Also, Gandhi lived his life in-line with the principle, ‘Battle