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Celebrating Mahatma’s birthday

Posted in On The Road, Announcements on Oct 02, 2007

Tonight, I’ll be headlining a fund-raiser for World Literacy of Canada, an organization that promotes social justice and international development, particularly in India. The fund-raiser doubles as a birthday bash for Mahatma Gandhi. They love the Great Soul as much as I do. (In fact, World Literacy of Canada gave me the bright orange Gandhi shirt that I wear throughout my documentary, Faith Without Fear.)

This evening, I’ll be paying tribute to Gandhi by emphasizing his moral courage. What I mean is, Gandhi called out not only British imperialists, but also Indian ones. He spoke truth to power within his community, insisting that there’s no victory in replacing a white oligarchy with a brown oligarchy because it’s still an oligarchy.

By daring to ruffle the feathers of his “tribe,” Gandhi displayed a level of integrity that’s increasingly rare among activists. It’s relatively easy to confront outsiders. There’s honor in doing so. Far more dangerous to stand up to your own because the emotional risks, from accusations of selling out to marginalization of your loved ones, are that much higher.

But Gandhi firmly lived up to a simple principle: “Be the change you wish to see.” That ideal is worth celebrating even more than his birthday is. If you can join us at his party tonight, click here for tickets.