Oct. 2 marks the second International Day of Nonviolence, commemorating the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.

We have a lot to learn from Gandhi on this day.

Mohandas Gandhi was born in India in 1869. Educated as a lawyer, he spent many years campaigning for India’s independence from Great Britain. He was the first person to apply the concept of nonviolence to politics. Arguing for a pluralistic, fully democratic, self-sufficient country, Gandhi’s methods were powerful and persuasive. He organized and led many peaceful public protests, which often took the form of noncooperation with India’s colonial rulers or resistance against them.

In his most famous protest, Gandhi drew attention to the unfairness of British rule by organizing the Salt March of 1930. Highlighting the unjust tax on salt, Gandhi walked almost 250 miles to make salt from the sea, accompanied by thousands of his countrymen. The British responded by imprisoning more than 60,000 people. This campaign and its aftermath laid the groundwork for India’s eventual independence in 1947.

Gandhi’s power came from the fact that he didn’t just talk about his ideas. He lived them. A humble and deeply spiritual man, he lived a life of complete simplicity, not seeking wealth or material possessions, political office or public recognition. He even made his own clothes — a traditional Indian dhoti and shawl.

This integrity of thought and action made him the social, spiritual and political leader of India for the first half of the 20th century and earned him the title of Mahatma, or “Great Soul.”

Gandhi’s philosophy was based on three fundamental principles: satyagraha — resolving conflict using active nonviolence; sarvodaya — working for the betterment of all in society; and swaraj — achieving self-government through community-based development.

But the most important of these was nonviolence. Arguing that its purpose is “to convert, not to coerce, the wrong-doer,” Gandhi addressed the basic morality of people. He changed their hearts and minds, rather than achieving victory over them with physical force.

The American civil rights movement took up Gandhi’s ideas about nonviolence. Following discussions with Gandhi’s followers, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. became firmly convinced peaceful resistance was the most potent weapon available to correct the injustices experienced by black Americans.

In 2007, the United Nations unanimously declared this day an occasion to reaffirm the “universal relevance of the principle of nonviolence” and the commitment to “a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and nonviolence” advocated by Gandhi.

Nonviolent strategies lead to positive social change.

Consistently walking one’s talk sends a powerful message.

Speaking to people’s higher values results in personal and collective transformation.

By acting on these lessons, we could do much today to help create a just, healthy and sustainable society.

So let us honor the International Day of Nonviolence, remembering Gandhi’s legacy and applying his ideas to bring peace to our troubled world.

Kate Davies is director of the Center for Creative Change at Antioch University Seattle. She can be reached at pmproj [at] progressive [dot] org.

Copyright Kate Davies