Gandhi Tells Students: You Are the Future Change Agents

 Imagine hearing from Arun Gandhi, the grandson of the great Mahatma Gandhi.

It was truly a unique experience for students of the SuperFutures Youth Leadership & Social Entrepreneurship Program, who, aside from Gandhi, heard from an Olympic Gold Medalist who competed despite the loss of one leg and a Harvard negotiations expert. 

"Gandhi was amazing," said Kloee Shaw, 14, who attended the full eight day program, still taking place. "That day was a 9!" Gandhi, 75 and Director of the Center for Global Non-Violence, talked to students about the importance of peace, echoing his grandfather's wise words during times of conflict. "You are the leaders of tomorrow," he said. "You can either take the world into destruction or change the course of the world and make it a better place." 

Gandhi used an analogy of wheat to talk about how to create more peace in the world. "As long as you keep this grain of wheat in this box, nothing will happen," he said. "But if you allow it to interact with the elements, like soil and light, it will grow. I've come here with a grain of peace I've gotten from my grandfather but let it interact with the elements so that we may see peace prosper." 

He went on: "Each one of us has the capacity to do good or bad. So, we see the phenomena of good people doing bad things. We need to focus on the problems that lead good people to do bad things." Gandhi said that he's trying to slow down... but not really since he's travelling the world more than ever giving speeches to spread his Grandfather's word.