Personal Essay About Mahatma Gandhi: A Peaceful Leader Who Inpired Many

If I could invite any historical figure to come and have dinner with me, my choice would be to invite the great Mahatma Gandhi. He was the reason a whole nation stood up against a fierce ruler with an iron fist, and dared to fightback, and reclaim what was truly theirs. A nation that felt pressured, and with the feeling of no escape, but given a chance to break free, all because of him, Mahatma Gandhi. A man daring enough to fight back against people with guns, and other various weapons, with nothing but his words.

He was a well educated man, earning good money as a lawyer in South Africa. Though, after getting thrown off of a first class compartment and beaten by a stagecoach driver, changed him, and made him wanted to develop and teach a new concept, called Satyagraha (“Truth and Firmness”), to fight back, without using violence. His mindset on fighting back, without “fighting back” was beautiful, and getting to learn that from him, would be life changing for anyone. He even dared the British, after they slapped him or beat him with a stick the various times he was thrown in jail in his long campaign against them, to hit him more. Attack him more, showing them, no matter how bad they treated him, he wouldn’t raise a hand. His name, in Sanskrit, even meant “The Great Souled One”, and indeed, he was a great souled man. A soul strong enough to leave behind a normal life to lead an oppressed nation to freedom, knowing his death was imminent, and not knowing if his goal would even be accomplished.

He was a force to be reckoned with. The man who the British wanted dead, but wouldn’t dare to even try to kill him, since he was such an important figure. It was to the point that even when he was killed, he wasn’t killed by the British, but a fellow Indian. Gandhi would walk into riots where people all around would be killed, but not a single hand would be laid on him. Even if he was jailed, millions would protest, he would be released, and that would repeat so many times, and it always ended with him getting released.

His actions changed the world. Everyone in the whole world knows who Mahatma Gandhi is, and what he did. And it’s because he is, in my opinion, the most important historical figure in modern history. He inspired many people, like Martin Luther King Jr. and many others, to look at the world around them, find the problems around them, and get rid of them, but with a new way, not with violence, with with words, and the truth.

I would love to even attempt to understand what went through his mind when he made this speech in front of millions, was thrown in jail multiple times, beaten with sticks, have his fellow brothers killed around him, but still stay motivated enough to fight back, knowing one day things would change. He accomplished so much, only with his words, and threw down the most powerful country at that time. Learning all those things over dinner with him would be life altering, showing me at the end, that words are stronger than guns or swords, or any kind of weapon.