Mahatma Gandhi Bio

Mahatma Gandhi is a major figure whose thoughts impacted the concept of social transformation. According to Kapadia (1995), Gandhi believed that thoughts and principles were only useful when put into action. Gandhi regularly spoke about social transformation and service to others, stating, " the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others" (Kapadia, 1995). However, bringing about meaningful social change is not an easy task. Gandhi warned individuals against pursuing personal aims through unethical means (Gandhi, 1961). Even though he reiterated that means are connected to the end, he said that "every problem lends itself to solution if we are determined to make the law of truth and nonviolence the law of life" (Kapadia, 1995; Thinkexist, n.d.). According to Pal (2008), Gandhi had a significant influence in the beliefs of numerous social change movements and leaders. Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Rigoberta Menchu have been influenced by Gandhi.

References

Gandhi, M. (1961). Non-violent Resistance. New York: Schocken Books.

Kapadia, S. (Nov 29, 1995). A Tribute to Mahatma Gandhi: His Views on Women and Social Change. Journal of South Asia Women Studies, 1(1), Retrieved from http://asiatica.org/jsaws/

Pal, A. (Jan 24, 2008). 60 years after death, Gandhi is Making world a better Place. The Progressive. Retrieved from http://www.progressive.org/mag_wxap012408

Thinkexist. (N. d.). Mahatma Gandhi quotes. Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_best_way_to_find_yourself_is_to_lose_yourself/148517.htm

Question 2

Nelson Mandela is among the many leaders who spent most of their lives fighting for social change. As described in information related to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Frontline special on Mandela, not everyone is in a position to see the results of their hard-fought efforts in their lifetimes (Frontline, 1999). Sometimes, they can only lay the groundwork for the next generation. Mandela was able to lead and experience this transformation in South Africa which brought an end to apartheid and now has a constitution that guarantees the rights of all people. According to Mendoza (2013), Mandela believed in the importance of changing oneself and said ""one of the most difficult things is not to change society -- but to change yourself"" (web).

References

Frontline. (May 25, 1999). The Long walk of Nelson Mandela: Viewers' and Teachers' Guide. Public Broadcasting Service, Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/andela/teach/

Mendoza, D. (December 16, 2013). 9 simple ways to keep Nelson Mandela's Legacy alive. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/16/living/keeping-mandelas-legacy-alive/

Question 3

Dr. King embraced the tenets of non-violence in his leadership within the civil rights movement and enduring philosophy for bringing about social change. King wrote about those who inspired his philosophy of nonviolent social change - Gandhi was among those who had a significant influence in his life. According to Pal (2008), King took a month-long trip to India in 1959 in order to visit the country of his inspiration. The King Center is dedicated to preserving his legacy and provides ongoing support for social change (The King Center, n.d.). Based on Dr. King's teachings, The King Center published Six Steps of Nonviolent Social Change. These six steps are: information gathering, education, personal commitment, negotiation, direct action, and reconciliation.

References

Pal, A. (Jan 24, 2008). 60 years after death, Gandhi is Making world a better Place. The Progressive. Retrieved from http://www.progressive.org/mag_wxap012408

The King Center. (N. d.). Six steps of nonviolent Social Change. The King Center. Retrieved from http://www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy

Question 4

Social change is a founding value and educational goal at Walden University as expressed in the Mission and Vision statements, and incorporated in every course curriculum (Walden University, 2013). The Walden Vision statement reads as follows; "Walden University envisions a distinctively different 21st-century learning community where knowledge is judged worthy to the degree that it can be applied by its graduates to the immediate solutions of critical societal challenges, thereby advancing the greater global good." Even though bringing about social change on either a micro or macro level can be daunting, Mandela was of a different opinion as he said that ""It always seems impossible until it's done"" (Thinkexist, n.d.). The teachings of Gandhi, Mandela, King and many others continue to influence new generations of scholars and social change practitioners.

References

Thinkexist. (N. d.). Nelson Mandela quotes. Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotes/Nelson_Mandela/

Walden University. (2013). Mission and Vision. Retrieved from http://www.waldenu.edu/about/social-change/mission-and-vision

Discussion 2

I began by reading the guidance on APA referencing styles from the university website, the Publication Manual, as well as Purdue.owl. Through this, I obtained knowledge on the various ways of professionally inserting a source in an essay or excerpt using the APA method. The Publication Manual was quite informative especially in providing details regarding the most recent and suitable way to cite sources professionally. I learnt where and how to place the surnames of the authors and the date or page numbers where needed. Some of the references cited were scholarly sources like books. However, a whole website is subject to change and thus such information is not considered scholarly. The same case applies for the magazines where there were no solid references to some of the information provided (for example, the quotes at Thinkexist). I now know where to search for scholarly sources as well as electronic ones that may be used in scientific papers.