Why is Gandhi Wise? A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Gandhi as an Exemplar of Wisdom Michel Ferrari 1 • Yasmine Abdelaal 1 • Shonali Lakhani 1 • Sargam Sachdeva 1 • Samia Tasmim 1 • Divya Sharma 2 Published online: 16 September 2016 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016 Abstract This study explores cross-cultural differences in why Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi is nominated as an historical exemplar of wisdom. We compare the answers of emerging adults (aged 18–30) from three populations: Indian citizens, Canadian citizens, and Indian immigrants to Canada. Chi-square analyses showed that these groups emphasize significantly different aspects of Gandhi’s wis- dom: Canadian citizens see Gandhi’s wisdom as practical and intellectual; Indian citizens see Gandhi’s wisdom as practical and benevolent; Indian immigrants to Canada consider Gandhi to integrate benevolent, intellectual, and practical aspects of wisdom; they also differ significantly in attributes associated with their implicit theory about his wisdom. Participants who know more about Gandhi also claim that he had a greater impact on their own lives. These findings suggest that historical exemplars of wisdom are filtered through the sociocultural contexts of each partici- pant’s own lived experience, but that they still can be an inspiration in personally meaningful ways. Keywords Culture Á Wisdom Á Exemplar Á Emerging adulthood Introduction In the words of Sharad and Misra (2013), Mohandas (Mahatma 1 ) Gandhi was an ‘extraordinary ordinary man’; almost 70 years after his death, his life continues to inspire many people around the world. Gandhi was equally influenced by western sources (notably, the Christian Gospels, Tolstoy, Thoreau, Ruskin) and Indian sources of wisdom (notably, the Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita, as well as two Indian mythological characters, Shravana Kumara 2 and Raja Harishchandra 3 ). However, as we hope to show, he is cited as an exemplar of wisdom in different parts of the world for different reasons: reasons that depend significantly on the particular socio- cultural setting in which his name is invoked. Gandhi famously said, ‘‘My life is its own message’’ [Chicago Defender, June 10, 1945; cited in Slate (2006, p. 883 )], so it is important to know something about Gandhi’s life to appreciate how different aspects of that life are understood to illustrate wisdom. 4 & Michel Ferrari michel.ferrari@utoronto.ca 1 Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Room 9123, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1V6, Canada 2 Faculty of Family and Community Sciences, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Varodara, India 1 The term Mahatma means ‘great soul’, a title given to him for his selfless services to the nation. 2 Shravana Kumara was the only son of blind parents, whom he carried on a pilgrimage to holy places in two baskets attached to a pole slung on his shoulder, personifying the ideal of duty. 3 Harishchandra was a king and made enormous sacrifices to keep his word, personifying the ideal of devotion to truth. 4 For a more complete account of Gandhi’s life and work, see the Gandhi Heritage Portal (https://www.gandhiheritageportal.org). 123 J Adult Dev (2016) 23:204–213 DOI 10.1007/s10804-016-9236-7