and to have courage to take the opposing anger. He urged for peaceful non-violent non-cooperation and attained it through most of his life (Gandhi, np). The phrase is echoed, “an eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind” (Gandhi, np).Gandhi’s belief in the principle of non-violence did not end with people. He believed that all beings deserved respect and care. He believed in vegetarianism for reasons of non-violence as well as its values towards simple living. If there is less grain grown for cows, there is more grown for the use of people directly (McKibben, 64). “I do feel,” stated Gandhi, “that spiritual progress does demand at some stage that we should cease to kill fellow creatures for the satisfaction of our bodily wants” (The Higher Taste, 28). Although he learned vegetarianism from his mother, Gandhi came to this belief on his own terms after studying the issue while earning his law degree in London (Gandhi, np). As Gandhi called for liberation of the soul, he taught forgiveness. Just as his father had forgiven him, Gandhi longed to have no hard feelings towards others. To achieve forgiveness, people must forgive themselves as well and take effort to correct their wrongs. This is why when a Hindu came to Gandhi after killing a Muslim boy in revenge for the Muslim killing of his son Gandhi told the man to find a Muslim around the age of the boy he killed and raise him as his own son, only Muslim (Gandhi, np). When Gandhi refused to pay a tax in South Africa that was unjust, a man by the name of General Smuts put him in prison. Gandhi did not have hard feelings after he was released. Instead, he made General Smuts a pair of sandals he had made while in prison as a sign of forgiveness (Logue, 13). Gandhi also urged the people not to be bitter with the British, despite their unfair rule over the country. He said “We’ve come a long way with the British. Whe...
