M.K.G at 140

October 2nd went without notice here in the US. The only thing significant in the news was President Obama's epic journey to Copenhagen to bring the Olympics to Chicago. Which as we know was of no consequence. The only significant impression he left behind was his carbon footprint. Even in nuclear armed India, this day was low key as peace between Pakistan and India was more elusive than ever.

A child once asked President Obama to name one person that inspired him the most and his answer was Mahatma Gandhi. October 2nd was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's 140th birthday. He was one of the greatest men ever to walk the earth in the 20th century. Gandhi is the reason why phrases like peace, non-violence, human rights and equality truly make sense in our increasingly violent world. He defined what humanity meant and what it should mean if we were to live in peace in harmony.

"My life is my message" he said as he experimented with truth and all its complexities. His solution was simplicity. While his political life was controversial, for which he suffered a violent end, his philosophical and spiritual life without doubt was profound. He was a man beyond his time. Even though he was immersed in religiosity his outlook for the future was real and modern. He is as relevant today as Nietzsche, Marx, Kierkegaard, Plato or Sartre.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" he said and sparked the end of colonialism and launched the beginning of a new world order. Without him and his ideas there would be no King, Mandela or Aung Song Su Kyi. Without them there would be no end of apartheid, no desegregation and therefore no President Obama.

He was a man of action. An idea that could not be put into practice for human betterment held no interest to him. Seen from this moment in time not everything the Mahatma (the great one) wrote, said and did is acceptable. But what made him great, were not his monumental victories on the political front, but his humility to confront his flaws with moral strength. His moral courage was his strength.

So on this occasion I would like to put forth four of his ideas that profoundly impacted me and make more sense today than ever.

1. Control of the Palate. He believed the first place a human is seduced is on the palate. He believed eating is necessary only for sustaining a body and keeping it fit for service. It makes perfect sense as we find ourselves battling obesity as a global epidemic.

2. The concept of Swadeshi. One must purchase one's requirements as much as possible locally. He believed you could serve the world best by serving one's neighbor. He believed charity done close to home is most effective. Act locally think globally.

3. The doctrine of Ahmisa. Ahimsa literally means non-killing. He said it is not enough to just be non-violent in action. Harboring violent, negative and unpleasant thoughts was enough for you to depart from the idea of Ahimsa.

4. Sustainable living. He believed that with simple living the resources of the planet can sustain us comfortably and his famous words "earth provides us enough for our needs but not for our greed" is more true today than ever as we ponder the effects of climate change and the rape of the planet.

While many think Gandhi is passe, I think he is more relevant today than ever. While there is no shortage of rhetoric around ideas of peace, human rights, disarmament and equality, action is rare, measured or limited. He said "I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent". Something to contemplate as we deploy soldiers to keep the peace.

It is what it is.