Like every woman I know, I’m baffled by the Supreme Court nomination/confirmation process in the United States. I’ve run the gamut of emotions; I’ve traveled the peaks and valleys. I am, like far too many women I know, a survivor. It took me many years to be able to acknowledge it, let alone say anything… read more
In response to an email proposal I sent her, Leentje Visser suggested we meet at a local café that makes its own chocolate and whose menu includes tropical vegan smoothies. As a big fan of scrumptiously nutritious goodies, I was in no way going to turn away an invite like that (heck no!) So Leentje… read more
Today is the fourth International Day of Yoga—June 21 was proclaimed as such by the United Nations in 2014. As noted on the UN site about this day, the purpose is to “raise awareness about the benefits of practicing yoga.” The 2018 theme is “Yoga for Peace.” Who would argue for less peace in the… read more
This past Sunday, we wrapped with Week 3 of the 2018 Certificate in Nonviolence Studies course. Part of the week’s learning focus was observing our desires to do harm, for the purpose of eradicating these impulses. Eradicating means to pull up by the roots. Desire is pretty intangible—it’s not like an object we can see… read more
Author Patty Somlo at Copperfield’s Books in Santa Rosa, CA. Photo courtesy of Patty Somlo. Where do art and literature fit in the broader picture of peace and justice? That’s a question I’ve been fascinated with since 2009, when I served as Co-Founding Editor for a small book publisher. Part of my work involved reviewing… read more
Michael Nagler, our founder, and Stephanie Van Hook, our executive director, recently spoke at Google. Hmm… Any guess on what they might have spoke about? You guessed it: They talked about the transformational powers of nonviolence.… read more
Lamisa Mustafa is a Metta Center volunteer and a first-year student at Southern Methodist University, where she is double majoring in Human Rights and Sociology, and minoring in French. She is passionate about the power of narratives in social justice. Through her poetry project Voices of Resilience, she will be creating a print and web-based… read more
Yesterday, the New York Times ran an op-ed about—get this—nonviolence. Published in the wake of the horrible expressions of white “supremacy” in Charlottesville, VA, the piece extols the effectiveness of humor and nonviolence principles/strategies to dispel displays of racist hatred. The op-ed, written by Moises Velasquez-Manoff, quotes two members of our Metta Center staff. Here’s… read more
Metta Center Named a Special Consult to the United Nations Petaluma nonprofit granted status with the world body PETALUMA, CA, May 10, 2017 – The late peace researcher Kenneth Boulding once articulated a tongue-in-cheek theory called “Boulding’s First Law.” It states that if something can happen anywhere, then it is possible everywhere. As far as… read more
I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but I am a big fan of daily resolve. Each day brings the opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been, to renew our intentions and ideals. Flowers that gently bust through concrete is an apt visual of resolve: lay down your roots, stay determined and you’ll get… read more
