Gandhi's “7 Blunders of the World that Lead to Violence” challenge us to shape a future that avoids these blunders.

In his final years, "...the elder Gandhi kept his grandson close at hand and set aside an hour every day to be alone with the boy." I like the image of a gifted world leader devoting so much time to a young person, affirming the fundamental human urge to connect to future generations -- to teach -- and, perhaps, to learn.

On their final day together, not too long before his assassination, Gandhi gave this important list to his grandson -- Arun Gandhi. Here is Gandhi's list, including an 8th "blunder" added by Arun Gandhi. 

I urge you to add some of your own in the same spirit. To get you started, I've added 5 that focus more on teaching, learning, and technology. Here is the combined list of "blunders".

BLUNDERS OF THE WORLD THAT LEAD TO VIOLENCE

• Wealth without work
• Pleasure without conscience
• Knowledge without character
• Commerce without morality
• Science without humanity
• Worship without sacrifice
• Politics without principle
• Rights without responsibilities [Arun Gandhi]

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Disagreement without discussion
• Technology without direction
• Connection without community
• Teaching without joy
• Learning without hope

Our Challenge: To use information technology to improve education
and shape a future that avoids these blunders.

I learned about Mohandas Gandhi's list of "Seven Blunders of the World" that lead to violence from Lib Segal who gave me a copy of the article about it in the Christian Science Monitor on February 1, 1995 (page 14). - Steven W. GilbertSee "Gandhi Grandson Pursues Peace;  Arun spent time with Indian leader as a teen; now he teaches nonviolence in US,"  By Brad Knickerbocker, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor / February 1, 1995

Gandhi's "Seven Blunders of the World" That Lead to Violence ...Plus 6Steven W. Gilbert, President, The TLT Group Revised: June, 1999; May, 2005; May, 2007; May 2008;  October, 2011Instructions/Resources for Brief Hybrid Workshop

• Print 1-Page Copy (PDF) of this Web Page
• Audio & Video Recordings of Gilbert's introduction & extension of Gandhi's List of Blunders 
• YouTube video of Steve Gilbert narrating slides introducing Gandhi's 7 Blunders of the World that Lead to Violence + 1 + 5

 "My Spiritual Message," Speech by Mohandas Gandhi, Oct. 17, 1931,  Audio recording 6:20 minutes, 2.5 MB

"One of the best surviving sound recordings of his voice, it was recorded on the 17th of October 1931 in Kingsley Hall, London. Gandhi was visiting London in connection with the Second Round Table Conference to broker a peave [sic?]  between colonial Britain and the broad Indian freedom movement.

IMAGE

Photo of "Gandhi drafting a document at Birla House, Mumbai, August 1942." gandhiserve.org

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Gandhi_writing_1942.jpg/500px-Gandhi_writing_1942.jpg

//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Gandhi_writing_1942.jpg

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Permission This work is in the public domain in India because its term of copyright has expired.