"My Life Is My Message" ~ Mahatma Gandhi

                I can only imagine the type of person that society would typically admire. Big names, shiny cars, expensive clothes, and being notoriously famous for starring in this movie, writing this hit single, or for just being really, really good at being extraordinarily wealthy. But I feel like there are a few of us who have cultural heroes that we admire who aren’t famous for the clothes they wear or the job they have. Some of us appreciate people who never even affected them. I would like to consider myself one of the latter group. Today, I recognize Mahatma Gandhi as one of my many heroes.

                Many of us already know what Gandhi did for his country. He led his people to freedom from British imperialism and helped to establish India as a modern country. Perhaps one of the best things that Gandhi did for us was to establish the power of peaceful resistance. We as a people are taught that the only way to gain a freedom or right is to go out and fight for it. Fight with words, and if that doesn’t work, fight with fists or other, more deadly weapons. Instead of believing that the traditional way of fighting for a cause is the only correct way to accomplish independence or gain more freedoms, Gandhi organized peaceful ways to defy the forces oppressing them. For example, the British were going way overboard in taxing the Indian people for things like cloth and salt, so Gandhi put together a march to a body of salt water (it might be the Indian Ocean but I’m not too sure) so that the people could get their own salt and avoid purchasing the good from Britain. He put together hunger strikes, starving himself to the point of illness, and arranged boycotts of other English goods. He was sentenced to prison several times and continued his hunger strikes there. His death in prison would bring disaster upon England, who, at the time, was condemning dictators in Europe. Gandhi also preached equality for all people regardless of gender, age, or religion. He was assassinated on January 30 1948 by a Hindu man who could not tolerate Gandhi’s belief that Hindus were on equal footing with those of a Muslim faith.

                There are a lot of factors that make people “iconic”. In today’s world, many these people are just people who have a lot of money and a cult following. They might not even do anything; the fact that they are incredibly rich creates a fan base, and they just relish in the limelight. There are some, though, who actually do things to create good with their fame. Some, like John and Hank Green, used the fame they acquired through the internet to promote equality and charity. Some, like Jackie Kennedy and other first ladies, endorse certain causes like American literacy or health. And some, much like Gandhi, try to create a name for themselves through the charitable actions that they do every day.