First they ignore you then they laugh at you – Mahatma Gandhi

First they ignore you then they laugh at you: Today, let’s talk about the meaning and inspiration of Gandhi’s quote – first they ignore you then they laugh at you. In this article, we explore the meaning of the different strands of this quote:

• Ability of people to understand and challenge your standpoint
• Challenging through fear or the perception of loss of power
• Attacking the unknown and something that’s not been proven

Above all, the main theme of this quote is about people challenging change and a new way of life.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you – Mahatma Gandhi

Why do people first ignore you and then they laugh at you?

People don’t like someone who’s different. It challenges their perspective, way of thinking and makes them wonder if they are doing something wrong. This feeling hurts their ego which demands a lot of work. Instead, they choose a simple path of ignoring, reisisting, attacking you before they realise the true value.

Once you go through the cycles of this attack, you reach a space where they start taking you seriously. This is precisely what this quote by Mahatma Gandhi is about – the act of being yourself amidst all these challenges that try to break you.

Standing up for what you think is right

I’m not suggesting that we go out and oppose people for the fun of it. The purpose of this quote is to inspire us to find out things that we care for and find the courage to standup for them. This will demand courage, strength and cognition that just because you decide to do the right thing, it won’t be easy. Life will test you and make you question your beliefs in numerous ways.

This quote talks about a few ways the society can exert pressure on you. The main thing however depends on how you respond to these challenges from the world? Do you cave in or decide to stand up for your beliefs?

Paths of resistance to change

These are the various paths of resistance – ignorance, ridicule, fight, hatred and eventually acceptance. Radical or new ideas often face the biggest resistance before they become a part of the mainstream society. Even if some of these ideas appear logically simple and easy, if it questions an existing pattern, people will oppose it.

The resistance will come to you in numerous ways. Sometimes this is what it requires to stay strong to your values and beliefs. You’ve got to be prepared for all these forms of resistance before it becomes a norm. And even then people might not give you the credit or appreciate you for it.

But, the victory you receive is not in the recognition but in the acceptance of your ideas. Even though it might appear like a thankless job, sometimes you must do it because your mind won’t rest unless you do something about it. This is the path of revolution, fight and standing up for your beliefs.

Paths of resistance to your ideas, approaches and actions

People show resistance in all sort of ways. The purpose of resistance is to derail you from your actions. People are astute at identifying what hurts you and will do that if that means they can win. This will be neither fair, nor logical. The outcome they are after is to either distract you or make you give up. You’ve got to find the strength to fight this resistance and the knowledge that their attack might not be about you at all. It might be about the way their mind works or about the things that they tend to lose if your ideas work. There is only one way to avoid criticism – Aristotle

The paths of resistance are never logical, nor fair. As they say, everything is fair in love and war- this is war. War can be ugly and will be ugly. So, don’t worry if people keep resisting you if find the conviction in your actions. I’d always caveat this with the pre-condition of global good. The quote aims to inform us the various forms of resistance you’ll get in your journey. The society or the external world can be very cruel that way.

Each time this happens, take a step back and identify what people are doing. Are they being fair or is what they are saying logical? These questions give you a lot of clarity about what to do next. If it is for their own selfish gain, you may not need to take this feedback seriously at all. In fact, this might not even be a feedback but just someone trying to hold on to their advantage. Even though the paths of resistance can be numerous, the purpose of it tells you the real truth. Keep remembering the quote – first they ignore you

Then they laugh at you then they fight you

The attacks don’t stop, not until it reaches its own critical mass and you manage to convince people. If you look at the history of all revolutions, these fights have come at the cost of personal loss. People have lost their personal, professional authority, recognition in the society and sometimes even their paths of livelihood before things have changed. Some of these people have managed to find the strength to push through amidst these types of challenges and found a way to live up to what they believe in.

All this asks for is to keep building your strength and find ways to treat these forms of resistance to build your strength further. The distractions usually are from external resources and sometimes even from people who you respect and adore. If your belief is stronger than that, then it is telling you something and you have no choice but to follow it through. So, let them laugh at you or even fight you. If you know what you are doing is right, then the only thing you can to is to pursue and take it however far your heart yearns. And that’s where some changes start to happen.

Then you win

It sounds simple, makes it appear that victory is certain. In many cases, people don’t win at all – but they feel that the fight itself was worth the effort and in the process hope that change might happen through some of the people they have influenced on their way. Success or victory is a strange thing and sometimes it can happen in a completely different way than you’d initially thought. All you can do is to control your perseverance and fight. The results are not in your hands. Your victory is not in you hands.

When at firs they ignore you – don’t be alarmed. Instead, treat this ignorance as expected behaviour because it is true. They will laugh at you, poke fun and eventually someone might follow you. These are the stages where your victory starts. Until then it is a solitary journey but if you have enough belief in it, this is enough for you to carry on the fight.

Your victory is not in the acceptance by people. It will come as a result of you achieving your goals or purpose. As long as you’re focused on that, external acceptance becomes an event. It is an event which is of less relevance and significance because it only acts as an acknowledgement of the great quality of work that you’ve done. Let people go through their stages of ignoring, laughing and fighting you. You put your head down and focus on what you want to do. The rest will find a route to come to you.

First they ignore you then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win – Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

References:

• https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8764432-first-they-ignore-you-then-they-laugh-at-you-then
• Quote wrongly attributed to Gandhi