OSHO: Mahatma Gandhi's Poverty Is Very Costly

00:16:37
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx_LQNFQL94

Ringkasan

TLDRThis text critiques Mahatma Gandhi's portrayal of poverty, arguing that while he appeared to live simply to connect with the poor, his lifestyle was actually expensive. Gandhi's decision to travel third class and consume affordable goat's milk was perceived as kind but in reality, it was a costly endeavor. Influenced by Christian ideals, Gandhi's strategy succeeded politically as he gained the trust of the poor. The narrative challenges the notion that living like the less fortunate is beneficial, positing that it may actually burden them, while reflecting on the role of spiritual figures who appear poor yet require support from the impoverished.

Takeaways

  • 🚂 Gandhi traveled in third class to connect with the poor.
  • 💰 Maintaining Gandhi's poverty lifestyle was costly.
  • 👗 His simple clothing was part of his political strategy.
  • 🤔 The notion of virtue in poverty is challenged.
  • 🕉️ Monks in India exploit the poor while appearing humble.
  • ⚕️ A doctor's role is to remain healthy to help the sick.
  • 🤝 Living poor does not equate to helping the poor effectively.
  • 🌍 Gandhi's influence was shaped by various cultural interactions.
  • 🎭 The perception of moral virtue can be misleading.
  • 📜 Critique of saints and their role in society.

Garis waktu

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The speaker discusses Mahatma Gandhi's choice to travel in third class trains in India, illustrating that even this option is unaffordable for many citizens. Gandhi's posture of sharing the struggles of the poor, however, seems somewhat deceptive as he travels alone in a compartment that could have accommodated many others. The speaker highlights the irony of Gandhi's dietary preferences, particularly using goat's milk, and raises concerns about the misleading representation of his public image of poverty.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The narrative continues to reveal how Gandhi’s portrayal of poverty was intentional, crafted to resonate with the Indian populace. Sarojini Naidu humorously remarks on the costly nature of Gandhi’s poverty, noting how his living standards were maintained at significant expense. The speaker reveals Gandhi's complex identity shaped by Christian and Jain influences, suggesting that his political strategy involved a newfound approach of adopting poverty as a façade to connect with the masses.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:16:37

    In a critical tone, the speaker underscores the disconnect between appearing poor and genuine poverty alleviation, asserting that many religious figures perpetuate this cycle without contributing positively to society. Drawing parallels with the medical profession, it concludes by challenging the notion that adopting adverse conditions is conducive to helping others, advocating that true assistance stems from strength and health, not weakness and sympathy.

Peta Pikiran

Video Tanya Jawab

  • What is the main argument of the text?

    The text critiques the idea that living in poverty helps the poor, suggesting instead that such a lifestyle can be costly and burdensome.

  • How did Gandhi's lifestyle affect his political image?

    Gandhi's lifestyle of simplicity and poverty helped him be seen as a representative of the poor, enhancing his political stature.

  • What influences shaped Gandhi's views on poverty?

    Gandhi's views were influenced by Christians and the Jain culture of Gujarat, leading him to adopt a strategy of living simply.

  • Does the text support the idea of living like the poor?

    No, it argues against the idea, suggesting it does not help the poor and may create financial burdens on them.

  • How does the author view the role of monks in society?

    The author criticizes monks for living like the poor without contributing productively, suggesting they exploit the impoverished.

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Teks
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Gulir Otomatis:
  • 00:00:16
    silence shared in words
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    presents
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    Mahatma Gandhi's Poverty Is Very Costly
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    ...I will give you the example of Mahatma Gandhi.
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    In India,
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    railway trains have
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    four classes
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    the air-conditioned,
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    the first class,
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    the second class and the third class.
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    And the country is so poor
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    that even to afford a third-class ticket
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    is difficult for almost half of the people of the land.
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    Gandhi started
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    traveling in third class.
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    I used to have discussions with his son, Ramdas,
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    and I told him, "This is simply crowding the third class,
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    it is already too crowded.
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    This is not helping the poor."
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    And you will be surprised;
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    because Gandhi was traveling in the third class,
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    the whole compartment was booked for him.
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    In a sixty-foot compartment,
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    where at least eighty to ninety persons would have traveled,
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    he alone is traveling.
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    And his biographers will write,
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    "He was so kind
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    to the poor."
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    He used to
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    drink
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    goat's milk
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    because that is the cheapest,
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    and the poorest of people can afford it.
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    Naturally,
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    everybody
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    who is conditioned with the idea
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    immediately appreciates what a great man he is.
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    But you don't know about his goat!
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    I am a little crazy,
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    because I don't care about Mahatma Gandhi much,
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    but I care certainly about the goat.
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    I inquired everything about the goat,
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    and I found
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    that his goat
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    was being
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    bathed every day
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    with Lux toilet soap.
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    The food of the goat cost in those days ten rupees
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    ten rupees was
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    the salary of a schoolteacher
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    for one month.
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    But nobody will look into these matters.
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    Only one woman,
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    a very intelligent woman
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    in Mahatma Gandhi's circle, Sarojini Naidu
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    later on she became the governor
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    of North India
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    joked once
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    that to keep Mahatma Gandhi poor,
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    we have to destroy treasures.
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    His poverty is very costly.
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    But it worked.
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    As a politician
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    he became the greatest politician
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    because the poor people thought,
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    "This is the man who is our real representative
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    because he lives like a poor man in a cottage,
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    he drinks goats' milk, he travels in third class."
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    But they don't know
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    the background
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    that to maintain his poverty
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    was very costly.
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    The idea he got
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    was from the Christians.
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    He was born a Hindu,
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    but he was born
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    in Gujarat
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    which, although
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    it is a majority Hindu state,
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    is mostly influenced by Jainism;
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    the people are not all Jainas,
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    but Jainism has been a subtle spiritual influence all over Gujarat.
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    Then he went to the West to study,
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    and there he came in contact
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    with Christian missionaries.
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    And many times he
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    was on the verge
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    of being converted into Christianity.
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    If you divide his life,
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    he is ninety percent Christian,
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    nine percent Jaina,
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    one percent Hindu.
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    But this country
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    has a majority of Hindus.
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    To influence these Hindus
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    he used
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    a totally new kind of strategy,
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    and that was
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    to live like a poor man.
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    His clothes,
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    his house,
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    his food
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    everything will give you
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    an appearance of a very poor man.
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    But if you look
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    into everything minutely,
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    with an impartial eye,
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    you will be surprised
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    that everything is more costly
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    than even the richest man
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    living in a palace
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    that will be cheaper.
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    But he succeeded in deceiving people.
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    This is one of the curses that Christianity
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    has brought to humanity.
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    Other religions have helped,
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    but Christianity is at the top.
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    Khalil Gibran, himself a Christian,
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    is not befooled by that idea.
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    But you who are strong and swift,
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    see
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    that you do not limp before the lame,
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    deeming it kindness.
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    What are all your saints doing,
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    living like poor people?
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    It does not help the poor people in any way,
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    it simply burdens them.
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    In India there are millions of monks
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    Hindus, Buddhists, Jainas.
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    They all live the life of the poor.
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    The poor cannot manage
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    their own lives
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    and all these millions
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    of monks,
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    who are not doing anything productive,
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    anything creative,
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    are sitting on the chest of the poor people of India
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    sucking their blood
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    and with great authority, because they are living like poor men;
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    you have to worship them,
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    you have to feed them,
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    you have to clothe them.
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    I once said to Ramdas, Mahatma Gandhi's son,
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    that if it is sympathy
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    and kindness and compassion
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    to live like a poor man amongst the poor,
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    then what about other things?
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    If there are a few blind people,
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    should I live
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    with a blindfold?
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    Or if there are
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    unintelligent people
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    and there are,
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    the whole world is full of the unintelligent
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    should I also live
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    like the retarded,
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    the stupid, just out of sympathy?
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    No, this cannot be the criterion
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    of being good,
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    of being virtuous, of being religious.
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    If somebody is sick,
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    that does not mean
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    that the doctor should come and lie down on another bed,
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    so as to help the sick.
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    Everybody can see the nonsense in it.
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    The doctor has to remain healthy
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    so that he can help those who are sick.
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    If he himself becomes sick out of sympathy,
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    then who is going to help?
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    The same is true
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    in the inner growth of man.
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    Copyright© OSHO International Foundation, Switzerland
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    www.OSHO.com/copyright
  • 00:16:32
    OSHO is a registered Trademark of OSHO International Foundation
Tags
  • Gandhi
  • poverty
  • politics
  • Christianity
  • Indian culture
  • monks
  • spirituality
  • sacrifice
  • socioeconomic issues
  • critique