Gandhi, pacifist: "Live as if you were going to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were going to live forever"'
This October 2 marks the International Day of Non-Violence, in commemoration of his birth in 1869.
Friday, October 2, is an important date as the International Day of Non-Violence is commemorated. The United Nations General Assembly chose this date in 2007 to honor Gandhi on the day of his birth. The pacifist has always been considered the foremost reference when it comes to the message of tolerance and peaceful resistance.
One of his quotes is among the most widely shared in history. “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever,” Gandhi used to say. With this reflection, what he sought was to remind the entire population that we must enjoy the present without thinking about what the future has in store for us.
Gandhi promoted ‘carpe diem’ in most of his reflections
He was a firm believer that we should live as if the time of our life were very limited, so as to have an attitude of constant learning and growth. A day lost in our life is a mistake , since we must have urgency to live and patience to learn. This is the idea Gandhi sought to share with this quote.
It is not the only reflection that has crossed the barrier of time and is still constantly shared today. “Happiness appears when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony,” “Behavior is the mirror that shows our image” or “Love is the most powerful force that exists,” are some of his other most important thoughts.
As a curiosity, it should be noted that Mahatma Gandhi never received the Nobel Peace Prize , despite having been nominated on five occasions (1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948). Years later, the committee responsible for awarding it described this situation as unfair. That said, in India the renowned Gandhi Peace Prize was created.
