Indeed, the Bhoodan movement unfolded on a large scale, but it's important to clarify that magnitude was not the ultimate aim. It was the human change, the spirit of love and generosity that I wished to evoke. When a villager willingly gave a part of his land to his landless neighbor, it was not the act of donation that was significant. Rather, it was the transformation in the heart of the giver - from possessiveness and fear, towards love and empathy.
Small or large, all scales are significant in service. What is essential is that we remain sincere and dedicated in our efforts, whether we touch one life or a thousand lives. For example, if we are able to bring tranquility and unity in one village, it may seem small in comparison to the world's population. However, it stands as a beacon of hope, a model for others to learn from and replicate.
While it is critical not to shy away from grand endeavors, we must not let the magnitude intimidate us into inaction. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, and likewise, societal transformation begins with changing one heart at a time. Remember, it is the depth of change that matters, not just the breadth.
Furthermore, societal change should not be coerced or forced upon people. It should be accepted and welcomed by them. That is why I emphasized eliciting agreement and co-operation among people when initiating any program. Only when the people voluntarily participate and share the vision of a more compassionate society, can any movement have a lasting effect.
To summarize, let us not constrain ourselves to the scales of change. Instead, let us be like a humble gardener, planting the seeds of compassion, non-violence, and service, wherever there is fertile ground. Whether those seeds grow into towering trees or delicate flowers, let us rejoice in their blooming. Patience, dedication, and faith in the principle of non-violence will guide us through our journey of societal transformation.
The sources below helped generate your response ...
- , are helping to solve the
problem of land is a small affair. what more important in
it is the fact that our understanding is rising to a higher
level. our entire village shall turn into one family; air,
water and land are all gifts of god and shall be shared by
all; we shall work with mutual co-operation; i shall work
46, science and self-knowledge_
not for myself but for the society; i shall think not about
myself but about the society; all this would bring about a
total change in the normal level. this is what inspires me
for this work.
we are to give shape to a new type of man. the old is
dead and gone. once a friend from australia came to see
me, and asked if the bhoodan movement had any
significance for the world at large. "the world
significance of bhoodan," i told him, "is this; since
australia has plenty of land while japan has not enough,
you in australia should invite the people of japan to
come and live in your country."on hearing this, our
friend was non-plussed and said, "we do have enough
land but what we want is the preservation of our culture.
we would, therefore, welcome people from europe, who
are nearer to our culture.""bhoodan is meant for
eliminating this poison," i replied.
Source: 259638560-Science-and-Self-Knowledge.txt... - No matter on how small a scale, we must be able to show a
model of it. Then and then only can we hope to stand our ground as an
alternative to Communism.
I used to tell my companions over and over again that if we could do this
agricultural work in the right way it would purify our whole outlook, and to
some extent that of our society too.
'People are in great need just now,' I said, ‘of something that will set their
minds at rest. The common folk are like a man whose mind is afflicted, and
who needs something, some diversion, to help him out of his misery. No one
in particular is to blame for this state of affairs. We are all of us to blame -but of what use is it to discuss that! What is needed is to put things right, and
for that there is a way, a simple, easy, effective way which is open to all--the
way of life we are following in Paramdham. And although we are not yet
following it as well as we could wish, we are making sincere and strenuous
efforts to do so, and we do not grow weary. That is something that can bring
great peace of mind.'So I thought, let this work in Paramdham take proper
shape, and after that I may move out, supposing that there should still be any
need to move out.
Source: 259702138-Moved-By-Love.txt... - but if people disagree even about the programme
itself, india cannot advance, for the nation as a whole is not indus-
trious, there is a great deal of laziness about.
every person must enjoy the fullest liberty for the propagation
of his ideas. the churning of ideas will give rise to the nine gems
of thought. nowadays however it is the programme that gets churned
up, so the people lose hope and have no incentive to work. the
greater our experience of administration, the better we shall under-
stand that we must avoid confusing people's minds. it does not
matter how small is the piece of work we take up, provided that
people agree about it. i am very pleased that everyone agrees about
bhoodan. that one task may, therefore, be set before the people
and carried out in full. thus we shall advance by completing one
job at a time. if we can set our hand to a succession of practical
task, and complete each in tum, it would be of great benefit to the
country. otherwise when different groups come into power they
will start different programmes, and these programmes will con-
flict with one another so that the country makes no progress at all.
5. local control and
non-violence*
it is fundamental to our work of service to realise that the world
is at present in the clutches of centralised power.
Source: 259628002-Democratic-Values.txt...