Ahimsa: A Quality of the Brave   One aspect of heroism that has been brought up a few times -- for example, in our discussion of righteousness -- is that of going beyond what the everyday person does. In a sense, a hero is someone who can do something that most other people can not do, or who chooses to do something that most other people will not do. I see this trait of a hero reflected in the actions of both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. They obviously had much in common in the way that they thought and also in the way that they acted. I see the two men as having fought and defeated the same dragon, that of selfishness. I would argue that selfishness is an innate part of human nature and that acting selfishly is, on some level or another, instinctual. If we consider that, for most of our past, the struggle for survival drove most of our actions, it makes sense that it would have been beneficial to have some degree of instinctual selfishness. What is most important, and most frightening, about selfishness is that it is entirely internal, springing from somewhere within ourselves. As Chetna explained in her post, fear is an extremely powerful force which has “the capacity to overcome the spirit…It is all consuming.” Because fear is so forceful, and because selfishness, as an internal problem involving the self, is much more threatening than an external danger, most people are reluctant to approach or even consider their own selfishness. It takes a great deal of bravery to face an internal issue, something that seems to be an intrinsic part of makeup as a human being, but Gandhi and King were able to face and overcome their selfishness. Instead, they transformed that selfishness into selflessness, and devoted their lives to serving others. This difficult transition from selfishness to selflessness is a form of Ahimsa, a transition from fear to “love and selfless service” (Sivananda 114). Both King and Gandhi embody this Ahimsa, this love and selflessness. However, because they were selfless did not mean that they were weak: Gandhi, through his protests, marches and fasts, practiced what he called “satygraha…a term which he coined and defined as ‘soul-force’” (Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions 119). His soul-force was strong enough to drive the British out of India and return his country to self rule. Martin Luther King, Jr., through the power of his words, was able to rally a group people and help to end segregation, even if it meant standing up against violent mobs and vicious police.  These men, though using the power of words rather than the power of physical strength, were undoubtedly brave. This bravery, in addition to their selflessness, helps authenticate their Ahimsa. Sivananda insists that “Ahimsa is not possible without fearlessness. Nonviolence cannot be practiced by weak persons…Ahimsa is a quality of the strong” (115). King and Gandhi were neither weak nor cowardly, neither selfish nor fearful. Instead, they were selfless and brave, and they were able to use their Ahimsa to bring about dramatic social change.