Gandhi was a beat

I'm thinking that Mathatma Gandhi was a beat character. Any number of his actions would mirror the Kerouactions discussed in The Beat Handbook. And, regardless of your definition of "beat," he fit the bill. He certainly was "beaten down," choosing to renounce material wealth and living among people of little means. On the other hand, he certainly was "beatific," given his spiritual focus and his solidarity with "the poor"* (note J.C.'s admonitions to same in the "Beatitudes"). No less than Albert Einstein is credited as saying, "Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."**

The aphorism attributed to Gandhi that I really connect to is this: Ask yourself if the next step you contemplate is of any use to the poorest person on the planet.** Now that's a pretty good litmus test for any of us, beat or not.

IS THE NEXT STEP YOU CONTEMPLATE OF ANY USE TO THE POOREST PERSON ON THE PLANET?

*I don't like this term!
**Quote and aphorism from Dear, J. (n.d.). Mahatma Gandhi, Apostle of nonviolence: An introduction. Retrieved from http://www.fatherjohndear.org/pdfs/mahatmagandhiapostleofnonviolence.pdf on October 28, 2008.