A life of purpose, a life of service
Ottobre 3rd, 2021 by Luigi De Salvia
Yesterday, 2nd of October, it was the 152nd birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and I received a short and deep message from a real sister, a long-time companion in interfaith dialogue: Vinu Aram. I found the message as an excellent summary of my own experience of interfaith journey but also a spur to continue all together. Vinu gave me the permission to publish it in order to make it a gift for all of us. Here it is.
My reflection today Roberto
It’s Gandhi Jayanti today, the 152 birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi today.
Vinu
Mahatma Gandhi :
An inspiration for generations to live lives of purpose! His vision of Sarvodaya, progress of ALL, a daily inspiration for me.
For 35 years, I have seen this vision come alive through our dedicated service at Shanti Ashram. Across India, so many wonderful individuals and institutions, their commitment and their hard work stand testimony to the Mahatma.
For the global family, this day is chosen as the International Day of Non-violence.
From hate to the divisive word, from discrimination to unequal distribution of resources, from the dehumanizing impact of poverty to the loss of social capital where gender divides thrive, from disrespect of nature to the wild ways of greed, from powerlessness to the poverty of the heart, from a culture of silence to the normalised cry of oppression, he questioned them all, together with like-minded women and men. For to the Mahatma, Non-violence was not just absence of violence, it was where the essential human dignity of every living being was celebrated, where the voice of the child and the experience of the elder mattered, where diversity was a gift and unity a shared experience.
On this day, Gandhi Jayanti, the152 birth anniversary of the Mahatma, may we rediscover the joy of living a life of purpose, a life of service.
