The Blemishes of our Idols

    

 In our in-class essay this week, we wrote about a notable freedom fighter of India, Mahatma Gandhi. It reminded me of his lifetime achievements and also who he was as a person. A question I have been thinking about lately is the disillusionment of the masses and its effect on history. For example, we tend to see the good parts of history because we like it, and therefore agree with it. Even with great leaders or people we idolize, we make their flaws go away and only keep the good memories of them. I believe that history teaches us both what to do and what not to do, even in the people we admire. 

Gandhi is my main point of contention, as his belief in nonviolent protesting was an inspiration to all. When he was fighting for the freedom of Indians in Africa, he deliberately left the South Africans out of the picture, saying in his writings that Indians are not in the same class as “Kaffirs”. “Kaffir” is an extremely derogatory word for Africans, and it’s the same as calling an Indian a “coolie”.  Essentially, Gandhi was saying that Indians should not be brought down to the same level of the Africans in 1900’s Africa. 

Another such freedom fighter was Subhas Chandra Bose, who was an Indian nationalist who fought using military methods against the British. Unfortunately, his support for Nazi Germany and Facist Japan left a bitter legacy upon his followers. In my experience, many people who I have talked to have completely ignored the faults of Bose, and in an act of cognitive dissonance denied such a thing ever happened. 

These freedom fighters have done so much for our country, and to say they had their faults is no exaggeration. In that case, why must we be so adamant in learning their strengths and weaknesses? We can only improve our views and philosophy if we see our idols for who they really are.