Role of Liberal Education in only Connect

“In the reading Only Connect by William Cronon he shares ten qualities that demonstrates someone who is liberally educated. Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr both possess qualities on Cronon’s list. Throughout their lives, Gandhi and King were leaders in movements. Gandhi worked to gain India’s independence from Great Britain, while King fought for equality in America. Both of them made strides towards changing our world for the better. Gandhi and King share some similar qualities of Cronon’s list; however, they have their differences too.

Both Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr possess quality eight of Cronon’s list which states, “They understand how to get things done in the world” (Cronon 379). People who possess this quality are willing to struggle in order to leave earth a better place than they found it (Cronon 379). Throughout his life, Gandhi worked to gain India’s independence from Great Britain. The salt march to Dandi was one of the many movements of his that stood out. On March 12, 1930, Gandhi began to run a religious retreat and traveled all the way to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea (Iodice 11). There Gandhi and his followers disobeyed the British law by making salt at sea. As a result, Gandhi and 60,000 of his followers were arrested for making salt. Even though Gandhi was in jail, his movement continued. By fighting a law, Gandhi was able to win India’s independence in 1947 (Iodice 11). Martin Luther King Jr also believed that it was okay to break unjust laws. “An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in terms of Saint Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law” (King 261). As long as one breaks the law in an openly, lovingly way, and is willing to accept the consequences then it is alright (King 262). Throughout his life, King and his followers broke many laws in order to gain racial equality for African Americans. For example, black people use to not be able to share public spaces with white people. As a result, people apart of the civil rights movement began to sit at counters in local restaurants in order to desegregate public places. Throughout their movements, both Gandhi and King got arrested numerous of times while trying to fight for what they believed in. As one can see, without putting themselves in danger either Gandhi or King would have accomplished what they did.

King possesses quality three of Cronon’s list which states, “They can talk with anyone” (Cronon 378). People who possess this quality have the ability to give a speech, ask thoughtful questions, and make people laugh” (Cronon 378). During the civil rights movement, King and his followers participated in many acts of nonviolence including grassroots organizing, civil disobedience, and protests (“About Dr. King”). However, one of King’s strengths was public speaking. King is commonly known for giving the speech, “I Have a Dream.” Throughout this speech, he mentioned the country’s Founding Fathers and the Bible, he used universal themes to show the struggles of African Americans, and then he closed with his dreams of equality (History.com Editors). King was clearly comfortable to talk in front of an audience, because there was about 250,000 people listening and watching him deliver this speech (History.com Editors). Although he is known for the “I Have a Dream” speech, he also gave numerous of other speeches that got his message across about equality in America.

On the other hand, Gandhi had a different approach when he was trying to fight for what he believed in. After Gandhi gained independence for India in 1947, the Hindus and Muslims started fighting. In the Gandhi video we watched in class, it showed Gandhi fasting in order to convince the Hindus and Muslims to stop fighting and find peace. Gandhi did deliver a few speeches; however, King was more known for being a public speaker. Instead Gandhi would sacrifice his own life and participate in acts of nonviolence to get his message across. Throughout Gandhi’s life, there had been numerous of times where he would fast to get his message across. The movie we watched in class showed Gandhi fasting, because the British wanted to divide India’s electoral system by social class. Gandhi believed that the people of India should be equal no matter where they stand in social status. Although Gandhi and King used similar, but also different approaches, they both got their messages across and made steps towards changing our world for the better.

In conclusion, Gandhi and King share some similar qualities of Cronon’s list; however, they have their differences too. Gandhi and King share quality eight of Cronon’s list which says, “They understand how to get things done in the world” (Cronon 379). They both fought for what they believed in by breaking laws and protesting. Gandhi put his life in danger in order to gain independence for India, while King put his life in danger to get equality for African Americans. In addition, King possesses quality three of Cronon’s list, because he was able to give public speeches in front of large crowds. Gandhi was able to give speeches, but he really got his message across by fasting. Overall, some qualities from Cronon’s list helped both Gandhi and King accomplish equality for their people. Having qualities from Cronon’s listed worked in favor for Gandhi and King. It is beneficial for an individual to have qualities from Cronon’s list.”

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