Militant Nonviolence Essay

Erik Erikson, the world-renowned author of the book Gandhi’s truth has also been popular because of his stages of psychosocial development (Niolon, 2007) . The said stages are enumerated in this manner: Infancy (Birth – 18 months) wherein the main psychosocial crisis is trust vs. mistrust, Toddler (1 1/2 – 3 years) which usually involves autonomy vs. shame & doubt, Play Age (3-6 years), usually involving the psychosocial crisis of initiative vs. guilt, school age (7-12 years), which often related to industry vs. inferiority, adolescence (12-19 years), identity vs. role confusion, young adulthood (20-34 years old), intimacy vs. isolation, adulthood (35-60 years), generativity vs. stagnation, and finally, late adulthood (60 years and above that is usually associated with the psychosocial crisis integrity vs. despair (Niolon, 2007) . This paper shall look into the book authored by the same person, entitled Gandhi’s truth, a book that has been said to be the acclaimed study of Mahatma Gandhi, taking the psychoanalytic theory developed by its author into consideration. This non-fictional literary work shall be analyzed based on the theory developed by the same psychoanalyst together with the discussions obtained from the book Development and Aging by Papalia, Sterns, Feldman and Camp, including topics such as health and aging, intelligence and its measurements, creativity, mature thought, wisdom and moral intelligences; education, work and leisure, etc. It has been a known fact that humans face their decline when they reach a certain age. It is often heard from different people that this kind of decline happens as most people are not as productive as they were once was in their childhood or early adulthood. This is also most prevalent in most senior citizens (Godrej, 2002). Apparently, for most studies, development stops at a certain stage . On the contrary, Erikson’s theory disproves the fact that development stops. In fact, it continues throughout the life cycle. According to the psychoanalyst and author of the very popular book, older people are not finished developing. Older people are said to come up to terms with their own morality, making them look deeper into their while lives. More often than not, they look back to the good times with gladness, at their hard times with self –respect, and finally, look at their mistakes and regrets with forgiveness (Lasch, 1969) . It is doing so that they rediscover integrity as they get ready for whatever challenges that life and death could bring upon them. On the other hand, those who remain isolated to the hurts and sadness that their life brought to them, shall be dissatisfied with the life that they have led and would easily get depressed. These are the concepts being described by Erik Erikson in his stages of psychosocial development. He has reflected these said concepts onto the life of Mohandas Gandhi, more popularly known as Mahatma or the great soul, the father of the Indian Nation. Almost everyone on the face of this planet has heard about the contributions of one of the humans who has been said to lead a great life to the history of India and the whole world (Anderson, n. d. ). He was generally known, as mentioned, as the father of the Indian nation who continuously fought for the independence of his nation from the British colonizers, despite the consequences he faced, despite his old age. Erikson’s Gandhi’s truth is generally a psychological reconstruction of Gandhi’s early years in Kathiawar on the Arabian Sea as well as his exile in London and South Africa. In the same manner, it provided an in depth analysis of the 1918 textile workers’ strike in Ahmedabad where Gandhi was first seen to practice his doctrine of Satyagraha or non violence (Lasch, 1969) . Erikson looked into the other aspects of this great man’s life that influenced his adoption of Satyagraha. The said author looked into the precocious and relentless conscience of the great soul by looking onto these said events which included the way Gandhi nursed his father, the civil servant whose career and health declined during his son’s youth, which helped him, set the pattern for a leadership that could defeat a superior opponent nonviolently (Lasch, 1969). Gandhi’s unsuccessful and premature marriage’s effect on his adoption of Satyagraha was also examined. Generally, this unsuccessful marriage of his left him in horror of his sexuality (Anderson, n. d. ). At the same time, it encouraged him to develop the religious and spiritual aspect of his life that played a very important role in his battle for the independence of his beloved country (Lasch, 1969). Of course, this has been the reason why Mahatma Gandhi started his quest for sainthood which had taken a political form. Gandhi’s leadership in the said textile strike has also been reexamined. It is where Erikson focused his study on the life of the great soul, in relation to that of his developed theory (Anderson, n. d. ). According to the said author, this has been one of the most unusual exercises in nonviolence though it led to the victory of Mahatma and the textile workers. This does not only reflect Mahatma Gandhi’s doctrine of nonviolence but his faithfulness to dharma (Lasch, 1969) . Aside from the religious life led by Mohandas K. Gandhi, more popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, his spatial intelligence and creativity should be reconsidered. These two has contributed so much to his doctrine as he was able to devise ways, using his intelligence as a wise man in devising ways to battle their colonizers (Lasch, 1969). Generally, his spatial intelligence allowed Gandhi a better and quicker ways of correcting mistakes than other forms of political action. Gandhi’s doctrine aims to cure men of their righteous and fanatic moralism that has been said to be the cause of violence that are quite irrational (Anderson, n. d. ). It is obviously seen that Gandhi’s actions as an aged man has not declined due to the challenges he experienced during his childhood and young adulthood (Chawla, 2001). In the same manner, his doctrine of non-violence or Satyagraha has not only been affected by his deteriorating health but of his beliefs, religiousness and faithfulness to dharma that has contributed so much in his fight for the freedom of his motherland, India, the land which had been infamously known for its division brought about by differences in religion (Anderson, n. d. ). Basically, the analysis of this book, together with the psychoanalytical theory developed by Erik Erikson, has provided the psychological foundations of what has been known all over the world as great leadership and non-violence. It showed how Gandhi’s previous experiences affected his life as an aged man. As Erikson suggest, the spirit that Gandhi had ever since his childhood has influenced standardization (Anderson, n. d. ). Every individual is then encouraged to follow his own path, a path that is based on his insights with regard to the realities of the world that he is living in as well as the realities by which he or she knows his or her own self. If this perceptions turn out to be true, then the path he has taken shall be the path of truth. This is what the life of Gandhi, based on Erikson’s book showed us. His perceptions that have been developed and continuously developing throughout his own life has influenced the development of a doctrine and philosophy that has gained him the title of a great soul (Chawla, 2001) . It is through this that he was able to influence not just his countrymen but the whole world as well. Eventually, looking into the brighter side of life can do so much good to a person who is in the last stage of his psychosocial development. In Gandhi’s case, he did not allow his weaknesses to serve as barriers in his fight, instead, he utilized them in such a way that his opponents looked onto it as his strengths (Anderson, n.d. ). References Anderson, H. (1971. ) Gandhi’s Truth: On the Origins of Militant Nonviolence. Theology Today. Vol 28. No. 2 Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://theologytoday. ptsem. edu/jul1971/v28-2-bookreview10. htm Chawla, A. (2001). MOVING BEYOND GANDHI’S TRUTH. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://www. samarthbharat. com/truth. htm ERIKSON’S THEORY OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (2007). Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://www. fractaldomains. com/devpsych/erikson. htm Erikson, E. (1969). Gandhi’s Truth. Journal of Religion and Health. Volume 9, Number 3. Godrej. F. (2002). Gandhi’s Truth: Nonviolence as Epistemological Arbiter. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from Lasch, C. (1969). One Man’s Quest for Sainthood and the Revolutionary Philosophy to Which It Led. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http:// www. nytimes. com/books/99/08/22/specials/erikson-gandhi. html Niolon, R. (2007) Erickon’s Psychosocial Stages of Development. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://www. psychpage. com/learning/library/person/erikson. html