From January 28–30, at the Bishops’ Convocation held in Ellenville, New York, Arun Gandhi—the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi—and his wife Sunanda Gandhi were among the invited speakers. For those who had long been influenced by Gandhi’s spiritual worldview and philosophy of nonviolence through books and films, meeting his direct descendant was deeply moving.

Arun Gandhi was born in West Africa and raised by his grandfather Mahatma Gandhi from the age of six. In his twenties, he worked as a journalist in India. Despite never receiving formal schooling, he authored four books and established the Institute for Nonviolence in the United States to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy. His wife, Sunanda, a nurse, has worked to dismantle caste-based discrimination among Indian women and improve health conditions for children and women.

Among the ideas Arun shared, one unforgettable story stands out:

When Arun was seven, he disliked the stubby pencil—about three inches long—that his grandfather had given him. Without telling him, Arun threw it away and ran back to ask for a new one.

“Where is the pencil you were using?” “It was too small, so I threw it away!” “Can I see how small it was?” “I threw it away. I can’t find it.” “Go and bring it back.”

His grandfather’s gentle gaze met Arun’s eyes, and the boy knew he couldn’t refuse.

“Grandfather, it’s already dark outside. I can’t go find it.” “Is that so? Then use a flashlight.”

So Arun ventured out into the pitch-black night to search for the pencil. It wasn’t easy to find something he had carelessly tossed away. After two hours, wrapped in fear and loneliness, he finally found it.

“Let’s see… Hmm, this could still be used for another ten days.”

Arun, on the verge of tears, looked up at his grandfather.

“Arun, come sit down. You must never forget two lessons. First, there are tens of millions of children in the world who may never hold even a pencil like this in their lifetime. Throwing away something still useful is wasteful. Second, think about the impact this small pencil has on the universe once it becomes trash. Whatever we use out of necessity must be used completely. Waste disrupts the environment and disturbs the order of the universe.”

In the 1980s, when Arun Gandhi was invited to the University of Mississippi, he drafted his research on Gandhi’s philosophy using discarded pencils and pens he found scattered across campus. At first, students found it odd to see him picking up pencils, but soon they began collecting and bringing them to him.

The depth of Gandhi’s thought—already concerned with the cosmic environment in the 1940s—commands renewed respect.

As we approach the 2000s, we must reflect on how earnestly we practice the “Care for the Earth” campaigns that have emerged in our generation. Even in my own home, unused pencils and broken crayons lie forgotten in desk drawers, living room cabinets, under chairs, and in every crevice like dust. At some point, I gave up trying to teach children the value of things. Each new school year, I simply bought new crayons and pencils, placed them in a new pencil case, and considered my parental duty complete.

Waste is a death sentence for humanity’s future. When we think of the descendants who must inherit a dying Mother Earth, our waste becomes a matter of life and death. Just imagining our children eating diseased fish and suffering pollution-related illnesses under hazy skies is terrifying.

With each passing year, abnormal weather patterns trigger natural disasters across the globe. Even if we are not profound thinkers or philosophers, as people of faith we must freshly recognize that caring for and preserving the world God created is our sacred calling. This is the foundation of a renewed faith for the world.

Nonviolence is not only the absence of violence between people—it is also the refusal to destroy nature. True nonviolence is realized when we learn to live humbly and coexist with nature. A believer who cannot care for and protect God’s creation cannot stand confidently before God.