2005-01-31 - 10:28 a.m.

Ghandi

Last night I decided to watch Ghandi, staring Ben Kingsley. It goes without say that this is one of my favorite films, and it goes without say that he had one of the most significant impacts on the 20th century, and possibly the 21st, which is amazing for a 19th century man.

Several of my bus friends have recommended that I read the book Ghandi's Way. Apparently the City of Davis (my hometown) decided that it would recommend and promote the book. Odd that a city would promote a book, but the idea was that if more citizens were to read the book that they'd be better equipped to settle their differences in a less stressful manner.

This weekend Iraq had free elections, and yet the results of those elections haven't been saturated in the news. For people who might argue that Ghandi himself was not unique, I have to wonder why there appears to be no similar figure in many other struggles for self-determination and self-rule (Iraq included).

It would be interesting if the City of Davis were to in addition to recommending the book, host workshops on Ghandi's philosophies. I'm also curious about any possible connection between him and Dr. King.

With both historical figures, it is really fascinating to think that my parents were both alive during the events surrounding both men's lives.

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