This is a site dedicated to learning about Gandhi, his life, work and philosophy. This site is regularly updated and maintained by non-profit Gandhian Organization in India and has a wealth of information and material for researchers, students, activists and anyone interested in Gandhi and his devotion to truth and non-violence. Gandhi believed that all of us have to listen to the voice inside us to find our greatness.

Martin Luther King, Jr., prominent civil rights leader and American national hero, acknowledged the debt he owned to Mahatma Gandhi in developing his own non-violent approach to achieving greater social justice in the United States. In his ability to inspire others and to bring about an end to official racial discrimination through the use of non-violent tactics, Dr. King is one of the greatest Americans in the history of the United States.

We can read Dr. King’s writing, but his writings alone do not do justice in illustrating his capacity as a communicator. Much of his power rested in his ability to use the spoken word to inspire, and in this sense Dr. King was part and parcel of the great oral tradition of Africans and African-Americans. Click here, to access the King Center web site, and listen on its home page to his stirring words about how greatness is achieved in service to others.

To learn more about the unique power inherent in the African and African-America use of the oral tradition, you may access the writing of the insightful Kenyan scholar of African culture, Dr. Malaika Mutere. The history of Africa and that of its diaspora are replete with crises and the strivings of the human spirit to overcome them. Dr. Mutere’s, Introduction to African History and Cultural Life, is a good place to start for understanding this tradition of which the work and teachings of Dr. King was an important part.

Nelson Mandela is a contemporary prophet. He spent 27 years in prison for his opposition to the South Africa system of racial discrimination known as Apartheid. After his release from prison, he became the first President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative democratic elections.

Nelson Mandela’s life of commitment to personal and community empowerment continue to inspire people around the world. His personal and political philosophy has been centered on the desire to expand human freedom and to offer individuals genuine choices in their lives. His life work has been committed to supporting each person to attempt to realize her/his potential and not to place artificial constraints on endeavor; and he has promoted the concept of a society in which people come first, served by governments and not dominated by them.

Join Dr. Gregory Pirio and friends in discussing issues raised by this website in the Yahoo Discussion Group. Here you will have opportunity to share your own transformational story with other and participate in an open dialogue. We look forwar to hearing from you. 

Joyce Kramer contributed to the Transforming Crisis web site with her story of how she used her diagnosis of breast cancer to create a life of her own choosing. Click here to order her book, Invisible No More: The Secret Lives of Women over Fifty. You may also visit her web site to learn more about Joyce and her efforts to empower women.

Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) promoted a philosophy of leadership, self-motivation, and individual achievement. The Foundation that he started will send you via email a daily motivational quote that reinforces a striving for self-empowerment. You can arrange for this daily quote, by clicking here.

The 3,000-year-old revered Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita is a classic example of a person beset by crisis. Its storyline revolves around a personal crisis. The Gita’s protagonist, Arjuna is embroiled in a royal family dispute over ascension to the throne that pits family member against family member. Arjuna finds himself filled with dobuts, and his story really speaks to the indecision and inaction associated with crisis, and the Gita provides a spiritual philosophy for personal growth. Gandhi acknowledged that he read the Gita daily to help him overcome his personal doubts.

The quotation below from The Gospel of Thomas, an early Christian writing, illustrates the interest of early Christians in personal empowerment. The advice attributed to Jesus challenges all to look within to "know yourself" to live an enriched life.

Jesus said, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned they will rest.]"

Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and it is outside you.

When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."