Ahimsa: Easier Said Than Done

Ahimsa is very important to me. The world would be beautiful if we could all practice Ahimsa, but tragically, it is difficult to do so alone. That sounds terribly conformist, but we must keep in mind that the vulnerable spirits of adolescents on their own for the first time do not make good test subjects.

I grew up with a very gentle and protected view of the world. I never had any reason not to simply love and embrace all that was around me. Even when others were rude to me or I was teased throughout elementary and middle school, I never felt any kind of anger towards them, but simply forgave them immediately and adopted "a mental attitude in which hatred [was] replaced by love"(115). I did not even realize that I was practicing Ahimsa, but it fact, "Ahimsa is forgiveness"(115). I was there to help out anyone I could and do whatever I knew was right. Eventually, I think people realized on their own that I was a very simple person, and they left me be.

College was a different ballgame. Uprooted from all familiarity, suddenly it was much more difficult to "put up with criticisms, insults, rebukes, and assaults"(115) all while attempting to discover myself. I became hotheaded and easily frustrated. When I realized that I had not done well, and those who were selfish, unkind people had, it was difficult to "not harbour anger"(115). After all, don't the good always win? Shouldn't we be rewarded for being good people? No, it isn't enough to only love.

Teen angst stems from the "soul search" associated with new freedoms.

Before we can truly love, we must fail. We must hurt. We must at one point desire deeply to "retaliate [or] wish to offend... under extreme provocation"(115). We "may fail a hundred times"(116), but the beauty is that we "will slowly gain strength"(116). Ahmisa is much more than and idea... it is a way of life.

I believe that at the core of integrity is Ahimsa. It encompasses all that most people, regardless of culture or creed, see as "a good person". This is mainly because "non-injury requires a harmless mind, mouth, and hand"(114). Now let's stop right there- that's a pretty darn hard thing to do! Jesus Christ instructed that "If a man takes away your jacket, give him your shirt also"(116). This seems similar to the idea of "killing someone with kindness", but the two are actually very different, and Ahimsa plays a large role in their reasonable differentiation.


A cute symbol for "killing someone with kindness." :)

When killing someone with kindness, we are hoping for a response from them that allows us to feel victorious. When Jesus was preaching, I believe he meant that we must bring ourselves to a point where "all hostilities are given up"(117).

I think the best part of "positive, cosmic love"(115) is the happiness it brings the practitioner. "Minor, everyday stressors effect health and mental well-being" as confirmed by psychology researchers Kanner, Coyne, Schaefer, and Lozarus as early as 1981. Recent research by Bolger, Kessler, and Schilling of the University of Michigan proved in an experiment testing 242 individuals' stress on a case-by-case basis that "interpersonal conflicts were by far the most distressing events." Ahimsa eliminates this and leads to a healthier, happier life. This is a probably explanation for the "hidden power in Ahimsa that protects its practitioners"(118).

Another very interesting topic is the claim that "creatures will approach the practitioner with no fear and do no harm to him"(117). As incredible as it sounds, I believe that it is very possible. Small children and animals can both sense hostility. This seems to be a talent we lose as we grow older. We are fooled by the fake fronts many people put on, perhaps because we don them ourselves. I'm not the first to notice this connection between animals and children. In the 1970's, there was a popular song called "Bless the Beasts and the Children" by Carpenters. One of the most interesting lines is "Bless the beasts and the children/For the world can never be/The world they see." Peace and bliss is something the singers have deemed impossible after facing the cruel reality of the world. But I believe through Ahimsa it is possible to regain a experienced version of this state.


Bless the Beasts and the Children Single Cover

Children often get along with animals easier than adults, and I believe it's because they often harbor such curiosity and love for these creatures. I remember thinking as a child that I was invincible, and no animal could ever hurt me because I loved it. From what I remember, I was never attacked by an animal. I never had a problem approaching stray cats that would normally shy away at the sight of a human. Ahimsa is essentially a pure outlook on life, but much more mature and developed than what we experience in childhood. I know that children sense hostility very well, because I often photograph small children. When I'm tired and I'm having a bad day, no matter how much I joke or fake laugh, babies sense my frustration. Frustration can be such an "strong, controlling... overpowering emotion"(125) that it is often difficult to truly conceal. On days where I am rested and happy, there's not a toddler in the world I can't get a smile from. Often, the child's own parents can't get them to smile because they are so nervous and frustrated with the process. This just goes to prove that emotion overrides familiarity to a certain extent.


Young children are very sensitive to our underlying emotions.


The ability to practice Ahimsa at all times and not only those happy days thus brings an individual strength with people and a certain confidence. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Junior are two great examples of this. They were both able to non-violently make a difference in the world. "Gandhi organized several non-cooperation campaigns"(119) which made quite an effect in his lifetime, but more importantly he created a political style that carries on today in India. Gandhi's children and their children continue to serve as prime ministers and members of the parliament even today. He also "opposed partition and the creation of a separate Muslim state"(119), which many people have turned their concerns to in recent years. Although the recreation of one India is unlikely, Gandhi's view of peace between the two religions, which he was fasting for when assassinated, is finally being recognized. Had he not been assassinated, the whole geography of the Indian subcontinent may have been different.

Gandhi fasted for Peace in order to protest the partition.

Gandhi has always been a hero in my home, as my grandfather wrote and protested the creation of Pakistan alongside him, and my father took his example by becoming a lawyer in India who worked to give legal justice to those who could not normally afford it. Everything can be worked out peacefully as long as people are willing to try and be patient. Gandhi also make an impact outside of India. Dr. King was actually influenced by his work. "He opposed the Vietnam War and demanded measure to relieve poverty"(120) while simultaneously fighting for the rights of the black man. Although he was the "pastor of a church in Montgomery, Alabama"(120), he practiced Ahimsa simply by following the bible. This extends the universality of the concept. More than a religion, I believe it is a moral code that we can all live by, as long as we allow it to consistently "[arouse] intense enthusiasm"(124) in us.

Dr. King was a man immersed in and enthusiastic about his work- two great steps towards success."