Dinner with Mahatma Gandhi by Emily

Dinner with Mahatma Gandhi by Emily - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would you choose and why? This question can be found in "get-to-know-you" worksheets from teachers, on websites proposing questions to ask in Truth or Dare, or even as a prompt for a scholarship essay. In whatever context the question is asked, I answer the same every time: I would have dinner with Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi revolutionized the way people protest and the world’s view of protesters. He advocated civil disobedience instead of rioting, causing the world to sympathize with the protesters instead of despise them. If I was given the opportunity to have dinner with Gandhi, firstly I would praise him for being such a kind, patient, yet determined and adamant individual. I would thank him for starting the civil disobedience movement and encouraging people to stay away from violence as a form of protest. It would be interesting to hear him talk about his life and experiences in the Indian Independence Movement. Most importantly, I would ask him for advice concerning issues in today’s society, and how those issues could be addressed peacefully. Mahatma Gandhi was an influential icon in civil disobedience, and having dinner with him would give me an opportunity to praise him and ask him many important questions.
As Gandhi was one of the first to make peaceful protesting widely known, I would ask him what his inspiration was for starting such a movement. It would be fascinating to know how Gandhi came to see that keeping the peace was most important, and how he got most of India to agree with that thought. I would ask how he got so many people to follow him and remain peaceful. Perhaps I would be able to use his answer to learn how to encourage people in the U.S. to protest social issues without rioting. Americans could learn a lot from Gandhi’s influence. The self-discipline he had was exemplary. I would like to know how he had kept himself so mentally and emotionally strong, especially when times got particularly tough. I could take his advice to first better myself and eventually to motivate others. As the end of the dinner is nearing, I would ask Gandhi about the day of his death. More specifically, I would ask him about the moments before and after he was shot. Did he ever expect anyone to try to assassinate him? Does he ever wonder why the man did it? Does he forgive him? The most pressing question I have concerns the moment after Gandhi was shot. Immediately after he was shot, he put his hands to his face in a gesture of greeting. I would love to know why he did that. Was he greeting his attacker, greeting God, or simply trying to handle the pain? Whatever his answer, I know that I would admire him even more so for everything he had done. Mahatma Gandhi changed the world with his ideas and beliefs on civil disobedience. The world would be a less violent place if only everyone would learn from Gandhi’s life. I would be honored to have dinner with such a respected and influential man, and would use his answers to my questions to make myself and the world a better place.