Gandhi’s Statue of Liberty Is the Light in the Darkness

 I remember in Canberra (Australia) I was driving and a strong feeling came over me to look in the direction of the park. I saw Gandhi’s statue and then remembered it was the 2nd of October, it was his birthday. I was not lost on the strength of the feeling that day. For me, Gandhi lives and his role as a peacemaker is a wonderful role model for children. I recall teaching the REAL HOPE peace program and I was teaching the session on Truth. I had an excerpt from a Gandhi video, the part where Gandhi was being bullied by some boys in South Africa. He was walking with the British clergyman Charlie Andrews. They saw the boys with stones up ahead and Gandhi said to him “Doesn’t the New Testament say, If your enemy strikes you on the right cheek, offer him the left?” and Charlie says I don’t think it is literal. Gandhi says he has given it some thought and he thinks it could work. So they faced the boys and then the mother screams down for one of the boys to go to work. Gandhi then gently says ‘you will find there is room for us all’. I loved that scene and I utilised it to teach children about how to deal nonviolently with bullying. Now i will never forget one of the tougher boys in the class he was really affected by this, he had not realised that strength came from courage in facing fear not hurting another. Gandhi’s message is relevant today. Every school should play the Attenborough movie, it is truly moving.

This poem below was inspired by my moment seeing the statue of Gandhi in Canberra and feeling the inspiration.

TIME WAITS FOR NO FOOL

In the midst of great confusion,
The truth lies dormant
Awaiting discovery,
Only explorers find
What they are looking for.

Seek and you will find,
Is whispered to those that listen,
For I am seeking another way,
I am looking for the higher path,
That gives me room to have a view.

For where I live there are no windows,
There are no panes,
For I am free to look upon the world,
Without barriers obscuring my vision,
I live in a school without walls,
In a world without division,
In a house
At home,
Wherever I go.

I have climbed the highest mountains,
I have peaked,
And seen the mustard seed is real,
For the mountain to be moved,
Is erroneous belief,
I became lost in the forest,
But now I see the wood for the trees,
And I am pleased to be in the clearing,
I am cleared from the past.

My words go unheeded,
My ideas unseeded,
For what I give cannot be measured,
I am a kernel,
Without an army,
I am a leader without followers,
I am walking alone,
Yet I am never alone,
For truth gives a freedom that is unbounded by time,
Does not require words in kind,
For it is never about the other.

It is to live as an example,
To know there is ample,
To share,
To be fair,
And above all,
To care.

I found Gandhi’s statue,
I was drawn from the start,
I entered the garden,
Overwhelmed by tears,
Inspiration removes traces of fear,
For I have found great truth,
And I have no need to travel,
When the journey is within.

I have met with courage,
And not run away,
I have met with faith,
And lived in the dark,
I have met with humility,
And stayed below,
I have met with truth,
And faced it in time,
All crossroads on the same path,
Yet they have come in different guises,
For I can see through the many masks,
For only clowns look with love,
Live without condition,
Play the fool,
For the town crier has a message,
That is simple and straight,
For time waits for no fool,
When you practice the tools,
of world peace.