When I first tried reading the Hind Swaraj, I thought it was going to be really confusing and boring. But as I got past the introductions and the pages with the roman numerals, it became very interesting. The unique set up of reader and editor made it a lot easier to read and understand.
What struck me most was Gandi's thoughts on modern civilization, especially the technology of the railways. He argues that railways will contribute to the physical ruin of civilization. He states that they "have spread the bubonic plague. Without them, masses could not move from place to place (47)." This connects to his idea of patience and that impatience is a characteristic of evil. Throughout his conversation with the "reader", he constantly reminds him to be patient. In this chapter of the railways, he touches on the importance of patience and we can see why he keeps telling the reader to be patient. He believes that patience is part of holyness. People used to travel to far places by using their own two feet, but that did not stop them from going to where they wanted to go because "good travels at a snail's pace (47)" so if their intentions were good, it wouldn't matter how long it took them to get there.
I agree with this because good things take time and a good person wouldn't mind waiting. A selfish person, who really does not want to do something, will rush the certain activity just to get it over with and say that he has done it. Patience also goes along with appreciating what is given to you by God. With technology, people have become lazy and rely on man-made objects for instant gratification. Although technology has helped develop civilization, I agree that it also plays a part in destroying it. Without technology, people would be using their natural talents and skills rather than relying on other things to do the work for them. With technology, people can easily obtain new information without even thinking, making people of modern civilization, especially today, pretty dumb.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
This is a very good point. Technology today has connected every aspect of life from across the world together within seconds. Today we have contact with almost every part of the world. On the other hand, in the past, it would take a long time for us to cover such distances. Because of this, I see why being patient is one of the good traits, according to Gandhi.
i also find this aspect of technology very wild. it sort of makes the whole technological structure seem somewhat delicate, even fragile, or like it could all disintegrate at any point.
Post a Comment