How To Triumph In An Argument, According To Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi’s life is full of stories and anecdotes about confrontations that end up bringing great doses of wisdom. In fact, this man, who became famous, is considered in history as the first to have envisaged a war without violence.

He says, for example, that one day he sat down to eat next to a professor at the University of London. The teacher asked him to leave because “Birds and pigs cannot eat together”. Gandhi stood up and said, “Don’t worry, professor, I’m flying away”.

“The object of any dispute should not be triumph, but progress.”

-Joseph Joubert-

Gandhi always did what he wanted in arguments. But he did it with so much intelligence and so much grace that he brought something to his adversary. Rather than winning the argument, his goal was to reveal learning from the situation in question. So, if you are interested, in this article we will talk about his suggestions for triumphing in an argument.

Don’t be selfish and argue solidly

For Gandhi, any prospect of a problem must also take into account the condition of the opponent. Taking this idea as a basis, he destroyed the monopoly of the English textile industry and then showed up at each of the factories to apologize for the layoffs he had caused.

He is also known to have studied each subject thoroughly. He wasn’t content with just having a superficial view of the world. He read, he deepened, he consulted. All of this allowed him to form an informed and solid opinion on any subject. It is undoubtedly a key to face any debate.

Train physical strength and patience

He believed that the strength of the body contributes decisively to the strength of the mind. Gandhi was in good physical shape, which allowed him to overcome difficult times in incredible form. Training the body brings temperance, strength of will and self-control.

Patience, on the other hand, is the training of the mind. Gandhi said that a wall must be built stone by stone. And that each stone has its moment of installation. Patience is a trait of the strongest minds. Not giving in to the first impulse is key to being successful, especially in a confrontation.

Feel empathy for the other, get involved in their emotions

Gandhi disclosed ideas which reached the whole world. Its principles were not the product of a local or capricious vision. Quite the contrary. In its ideas and its struggle, we find all of humanity. His doctrine initially focused on his own village, but was inspired by universal values.

This leader gave a very important place to emotions. His speech was not completely ideological. He tried to understand the position of his opponents and heeded what they might be feeling. This is why thousands of people around the world followed and admired him, even if they did not share his cause. Winning a confrontation does not necessarily mean canceling the other.

Speak in plain language and be transparent

Simplicity of speech is something that characterizes great leaders. They don’t speak to be admired, they speak to be understood. And the best way to encourage understanding is to use plain language that everyone can understand.

It would be populism if behind all this there were hidden interests. But if the simple words don’t hide occult truths, they go straight to the heart. An authentic speech has a great power of conviction. And also brings respect. A verbal argument is won this way: with deep arguments, expressed in a simple way and without lies.

Grow in self-sufficiency and persevere

Gandhi went out of his way to get everything he needed. He made his own clothes and other everyday items. He converted self-sufficiency into a way of building his freedom. He knew that relationships of dependence do not arise from big facts, but from small details. And he took the evil at the root.

This great leader took 55 years to achieve independence for India, which was his great dream. He did it his way: without resorting to violence. He went through thousands of hardships before he got there. Deep down, he knew that perseverance is a key that eventually opens all doors and that the ability to persuade allows you to advance towards triumph.

All of Gandhi’s hopes leave us with a precious catalog of human values. His triumph was a triumph of the spirit and that is why there was a before and an after Gandhi. The greatest of all his precepts has been to face problems, without the objective of destroying the other. Thus, there is never a defeat, because it is a sure way for everyone to win eventually, even if it is not exactly what they initially wanted.

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Main image by Whooli Chen