Jenny Dobson Gandhi: Identity Crisis to World Leader Initially one of the things I was most impressed by in Gandhi

was his consistency and dedication in his actions. Everyone knows his famous quote, Be the change you wish to see in the world and he is probably most famous for putting his principles into practice. But I think what a lot of people look over is that in order to be that change, you have not first know what changes you want to make and know one-self. In other words, in order to have strong principles and live by those principles, one must first know oneself. The idea of oneself is something we have been continuously discussing in class and as we have seen through the various models, it not something we can define easily. One of the many reasons I find Gandhi so fascinating is the fact that Gandhi had to first lose himself in order to reach a place of principle and understand himself. He definitely went through points of confusion in his cultural identity before he fully realized his mission to fight for Indian independence. For example if you look at the picture featured below Gandhi seemed to have a bit of an identity crisis especially in his early years and seemed to embrace the westernized culture becoming almost unrecognizable. In the book The Essential Gandhi, Gandhi provides insight of the internal

conflict he was facing, I undertook the all too impossible task of becoming an English gentlemanI wasted ten pounds on an evening suit made in Bond Street, the center of fashionable life in LondonI wasted ten minutes everyday before a huge mirror watching myself arranging my tie and parting my hair in the correct fashion. Reflecting back, Gandhi seems ashamed and uses the word wasted to describe his action however I do not think I would call it a wasted because I think the confusion ultimately shaped and lead him into becoming someone who changed the world. His life is a demonstration that the shaping of an identity is very complex and unpredictable process (Overall it makes me question whether maintaining a tight hold on our original culture sparks the most growth in identity.) In an analysis of Gandhi, it seems his time away from India is actually what drew India so near to his heart. In attempting to become of something else, he realized how attached he was to India and he accounts, I would continuously think of my home and country. In the Essential Gandhi, the author describe Gandhis time in England and writes simply, Gandhi does not seem to have been happy in England. It was necessary interim period: he had to be there to get professional

status. Although I agree with what they are explaining, I think there is more to his time in England than simply his professional status. In England is where Gandhi first hand saw and endured the stark differences of him and his people. Gandhi writes, Everything was strangethe people, their ways, and even their dwellings. There were complex emotions tied up in England. Although Gandhi felt like an outsider, for sometime as I noted above he actually attempted to conform to an English gentlemen status. His time of confusion in England eventually sparked a yearning to return and perhaps a passion that may not have ignited if he had always stayed (27). Because the factors influencing Gandhis life are endless, it is hard to sum it up in one journal entry but I think it important to point out that if we were going to put Gandhis life into the Bronfenbrenner model, he would not only have his inner influences of family, culture, religion, etc. but also his macro systems would bridge India, Africa, and England. Once again there is serious contrast between these cultures and this lead to serious contrast is some of the stages of Gandhis life. Overall though, I believe these times of conflict are what made Gandhi so wise. The self or identity is fragile and it can be influenced by so many different components. These contrasting dynamics can sometimes make someones action inconsistent and makes ones identity unclear. However in Gandhis case these unclear moments ultimately molded him to become a leader of pragmatism and the practice of ones principles. So I continue researching on how he got there. Gandhis life reminded me that there is juxtaposition between independence and interdependence. In other

words there is a blurred line between separated and connected. For example, initially one might be very confused over the fact that Gandhi lived in Britain, the very country he later dedicate his life to become independent from. And then Gandhi came up with most of his non-violence ideologies while in Africa, not India. His time away actually ended up making him more connected with his culture. I wonder what would have happened to his self if he had live in India for his whole life. Would he have felt such a strong calling to go back and help? The contrast in culture and discrimination he faced in South Africa helped him to realize how unjust British rule was in India. Would he have realized that anyways? Possibly but there is definitely evidence that the conflict in exploration of culture lead to a self-discovery for him. Gandhis most famous phrase, Be the change you wish to see seems to only have come after a lifetime of personal struggle.