This is a letter of thanks to one of the most honored ambassadors for peace the world has ever had the privilege of meeting. Now I am not alone in my admiration and gratitude for the man who has moved so many in the search for harmony and equality.

Dear Gandhi,

Of course there is no way you would know me. I was born long after your death on that fateful day in January when you were about to head to a prayer meeting. I live thousands of miles from where you defended your freedom movement. But I heard from you and ever since I have been in awe of what you have accomplished and how you have done it.

Mahatma Gandhi, thank you for being such a courageous ambassador for peace that even decades after your death, the legacy you left continues to leave an indelible mark on people who hear your story, like me.

You are my hero of peace. You were one of the first and best known promoters of resolution through nonviolence. He showed a determined passion for holiness and the preservation of human life and demonstrated that the success of a person or a cause is not always won through physical brutality or force.

You are my hero of freedom. The Indian independence movement that you helped shape inspired many other freedom movements around the world. But it is not only freedom from political slavery that he defended, but from all the things that limit us, such as our fears and insecurities, in our struggle to reach and recognize our true potential. And for this, I am sending you this letter of thanks.

You are my defender of human rights. In a time of inequality in almost all social contexts, she fought for the rights of women, the poor, the religiously oppressed, and the physically abused. And your actions have instilled in me a greater understanding of equality and its importance.

Mahatma Gandhi, accept my thank you letter. You may not know me, but you have changed me and you have changed the way I see the world. It has made me appreciate the freedom that I am experiencing and has taught me that this is something that I should always cherish and safeguard. You have made me recognize the value of peace and truth. But above all, you have taught me selflessness and the ideal of creating something that is bigger than me and that not only affects me, but also others. I will never achieve the greatness that you have, but because of the story of your life, every day I try to do what I can to help others and appreciate what I have.

Respectfully yours,

Raffy chan