Though Gandhi’s campaign in India is referred to as an “independence” movement it was more precisely a struggle for liberation. For Gandhi, liberation–both personal and social–is a matter of realizing right relationships to (if I can paraphrase the Earth Charter) one another, the creatures of the planet, our resources and the Earth. Here, he clarifies that right relationships consist of two ingredients: interdependence and self-sufficiency. For, when we aim for independence alone we are apt to find ourselves caught up in spirals of alienation, isolation and exploitation. This explains why Gandhi was not anti-British. Liberation from them would mean establishing interdependence with, not isolation from them. And yet, paradoxically, when we include ideal of self-sufficiency in our understanding of interdependence, we cannot be coerced into even the best of relationships; we must enter into them in freedom. Striking this balance is not without its challenges–interdependence is harder, and takes more work because, (well, sigh) we have to find a way to get along and be generous with others, even when we would rather not.
(From what i have noticed, the concept of self-sufficiency amidst interdependence is difficult to achieve. It is VERY easy to fall into a position that relies upon unequal dependence rather than interdependence. It is far more easy to be lulled into accepting this type of social relation system as natural when it is in fa an aberration from nonviolence.)
Identify one area in your life where you would like to become more self-sufficient. How would you balance that with interdependence?
(I want to earn enough to live without hurting anyone. That is incredibly difficult to do in Philadelphia. But im working on it. To do so i will need to rely upon the generosity of others working toward the same goal - right relatonships.
There is a place i can work in the interim, possibly, where these types of goals are espoused.’)
