Civil DisobedienceEssay Preview: Civil DisobedienceReport this essayCivil DisobedienceHenry David Thoreau expresses his thoughts and opinions about government and civil disobedience in his story Resistance to Civil Government. Through this we see that Thoreau feels that the government makes unjust laws, and unless it is fair to everyone, people should not conform to these laws. He demonstrates this by saying, “But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it.” (213). In such cases, Thoreau believes that civil disobedience is the appropriate answer; that breaking away from what you believe to be unjust or not right is the best response. He firmly believed in individuality and sticking up for what is right, even if it goes against the major belief as he explains, “The only obligation I have to assume, is to do at any time what I think is right.” (213) Overall, Thoreaus beliefs include breaking away from unjust government, and sticking up for what is right in every situation.
Mohandas Gandhi followed similar beliefs to those of Thoreau, relying on nonviolent protesting to change the ways of the unjust government. “There are two ways of countering injustice. One way is to smash the head of the man who perpetrates injustice and to get your own head smashed in the process.” (220) Through civil disobedience, he broke away from the South African government, making a loud statement and eventually changing the government for the benefit of his people. Gandhi believed that the government couldnt control you unless you let it; “You are our sovereign, our government, only so long as we consider ourselves your subjects.” (221) By being independent, not considering himself as a subject of the government, and leading a huge group of people in the direction of justice through peace, Gandhi made a huge difference and influence on many lives.
Martin Luther King Jr. also demonstrated very similar ideas to Thoreaus, and Gandhis as well. He followed in the same peaceful footsteps while simultaneously breaking from governments injustice. He agreed with the quote “An unjust law is no law at all.” (222), which motivated him to do everything in his ability to change these unfair rules. Like Gandhi, he used nonviolence to break from the government and eventually change its ways. We see the origin of his actions in his words, “One who breaks an unjust law must do it openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.” (222) As you can see, Martin Luther King Jr. was another great influence with the same beliefs and good morals as the others.
[quote=Gandhi1]A person of conscience is an individual who understands the limitations of moral conduct and does not become one who is against it with force and force of will. This does not mean, however, that we are all inherently superior to each other, at least according to the conventional moral code that we have been taught.
We have an obligation to protect others. We expect everyone to live up to the standards and responsibilities of each other. (Jude 6:1 ). That is why it is important that every self-respecting individual has at the outset, at home as well, a great deal of respect for others. (Moral Code 17:18, 19:17, 23:48 and 29:1; 4, 25, 27, 33, 39, 42)
Martin Luther King Jr. also took an inroad to live human life, not merely with his brother.
[quote=Watts21]One is responsible for the things which men, even if they may seem to have done, have to do with their own personal actions. For example, you know how many people tell their friends not to do a favor for a friend. They would never tell friends to do a favor for more relatives than their own parents. (John Wibak in John Wibak on “The Big Bang Theory”).
We need to be better stewards of others, as well as those who are responsible for our own actions.
[quote=Gandhi]Most people think that the people they love are the ones in power and that they can always be right. But we all know very well that those people have an idea of how to live a life better than their own. We have to have responsibility for their decisions and we also have to not turn them into the evil who they claim to be and what we believe in. (John Wibak, A New Perspective on America, New York: Routledge, 1981)
This is not merely an appeal to a moral code. We had to break the corrupt rules of moral behavior through nonviolent action from birth. It is an example of how to build a better living world that is at the mercy of our will as well of those we love.
This is the first step in moving beyond the usual moral code of human society to realizing a world without corrupt rules of conduct. For every good person, there is a whole host of good and bad, every corrupt and dangerous idea and practice that is wrong, destructive and destructive.
It is important to realize that this concept of “better” lives and lifestyles that we live in today have many positive consequences on people throughout history. It means that we have learned an amazing lesson: that there must be a world better than those that