What Tea Party Supporters Can Learn From Gandhi
The tea party began in 2009, when a few different forces got together to begin a movement to take back liberty.
One of the forces was Glenn Beck's 9/12 project, which encouraged conservatives to realize that they were not alone, and to focus on instilling values of hard work, reverence, humility, charity, and courage, among other things.
At the same time, other conservatives suggest that we send a message to Washington protesting the bailouts that encourage irresponsibility.
In 2010, Glenn Beck brought about a half million people together to try to restore honor and integrity in our lives.
He encouraged us to study the life of Gandhi.
Are the tea party conservatives living up to Gandhi's values? I say we still have a ways to go.
Gandhi showed love to those who disagreed with him.
He thought that it was unfair that Indians should be treated as second class citizens in South Africa, and then fought for Indian independence once he returned to his homeland.
Although he fought, he didn't do so with guns.
He did so with peaceful noncompliance.
He didn't lash out at the British for what they were doing.
He simply did what he thought was right in a loving manner.
Are today's Tea Party supporters following the principals of Gandhi? While it seems that some are, we still have a ways to go if we are going to be more like him.
We need to respond to the attacks of the left that hate us with kindness, love, and prayer.
Although it may be frustrating when it seems that no progress is made, it is important to be kind, even when others hate us.
Even if, as in the words of Andy Stern, the left tries to come after us with the "persuasion of power" we must stand in love.
A recent article on Glenn Beck's news site, The Blaze, shows me that we have a ways to go.
The article was about how Michelle Obama went to a restaurant and ordered French fries.
While this shows hypocrisy, since she is so quick to try to make everyone else eat carrot sticks, some of the comments that people made regarding this article were unkind.
Some of the comments made jokes about Ms.
Obama's weight, and called liberals unkind names.
This will not do, if we want to follow the principals of love and peace.
Although the majority of the comments were constructive and not unkind, about 20% of the comments were mean-spirited.
If we want to be a people of kindness and peace, an overwhelming majority of the things we say need to be kind.
We are all a work in progress.
We will never be perfect.
Responding with kindness, even to others that are not kind to us, is just one of the things that we need to work on.
One of the forces was Glenn Beck's 9/12 project, which encouraged conservatives to realize that they were not alone, and to focus on instilling values of hard work, reverence, humility, charity, and courage, among other things.
At the same time, other conservatives suggest that we send a message to Washington protesting the bailouts that encourage irresponsibility.
In 2010, Glenn Beck brought about a half million people together to try to restore honor and integrity in our lives.
He encouraged us to study the life of Gandhi.
Are the tea party conservatives living up to Gandhi's values? I say we still have a ways to go.
Gandhi showed love to those who disagreed with him.
He thought that it was unfair that Indians should be treated as second class citizens in South Africa, and then fought for Indian independence once he returned to his homeland.
Although he fought, he didn't do so with guns.
He did so with peaceful noncompliance.
He didn't lash out at the British for what they were doing.
He simply did what he thought was right in a loving manner.
Are today's Tea Party supporters following the principals of Gandhi? While it seems that some are, we still have a ways to go if we are going to be more like him.
We need to respond to the attacks of the left that hate us with kindness, love, and prayer.
Although it may be frustrating when it seems that no progress is made, it is important to be kind, even when others hate us.
Even if, as in the words of Andy Stern, the left tries to come after us with the "persuasion of power" we must stand in love.
A recent article on Glenn Beck's news site, The Blaze, shows me that we have a ways to go.
The article was about how Michelle Obama went to a restaurant and ordered French fries.
While this shows hypocrisy, since she is so quick to try to make everyone else eat carrot sticks, some of the comments that people made regarding this article were unkind.
Some of the comments made jokes about Ms.
Obama's weight, and called liberals unkind names.
This will not do, if we want to follow the principals of love and peace.
Although the majority of the comments were constructive and not unkind, about 20% of the comments were mean-spirited.
If we want to be a people of kindness and peace, an overwhelming majority of the things we say need to be kind.
We are all a work in progress.
We will never be perfect.
Responding with kindness, even to others that are not kind to us, is just one of the things that we need to work on.
