April 26

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

–Gandhi

Get ready for a shock–as far as those who have really studied Gandhi can find, he never actually ever said this. That’s right–perhaps the most famous words of Gandhi are not really his. (Note above, there is no citation!) The best we can determine is that it is probably a paraphrase of something else he did say, perhaps from some longer talk, and probably in Gujarati, his mother tongue. That said, when I consulted Michael Nagler on this topic, he noted, “Everything except the ‘be the change’ rhetoric, is entirely in Gandhi’s spirit.”

Gandhi was all about the critical element in getting others to change: exemplifying what we want to see happen — the natural opposite of hypocrisy, and the essence of lasting change.  Do we stop with being the change? Gandhi would say “No.” Yes, we change ourselves before we demand that others change. If we don’t take personal responsibility, we cannot expect it from others. But on that firm foundation of personal transformation we are well positioned to influence those around us in other ways, and should not hesitate to influence them. This was Gandhi: always practical; always challenging.  Be the change.

Experiment in Nonviolence:

Find one way in which you can “be the change” first, before asking someone else to change.

Daily Metta 2015, a service of the Metta Center for Nonviolence, is a daily reflection on the strategic and spiritual insights of Mahatma Gandhi in thought, word and deed. As Gandhi called his life an “experiment in truth,” we have included an experiment in nonviolence to accompany each Daily Metta. Check in every day for new inspiration. Each year will be dedicated to another wisdom teacher.