November 11: “Birth and death are not two different states, but they are different aspects of the same state.” –Gandhi (Young India, August 4, 1927) There is a bridge outside of Delhi with these words inscribed upon it: This is a Bridge. This is a Bridge. Do not make your home on it. In other… read more
Posts by Stephanie Van Hook
“When care is revolutionary”–Daily Metta
November 10: “An owner never spoils his property.” –Gandhi (Young India, August 4, 1927) Gandhi, talking to mill workers in 1927, wanted them to understand their power. Without labor, he insisted, there would be no product. He tells them, “When you know that the mill is as much yours as the mill-owners’, you will never… read more
“Father Arizmendi’s Experiment”–Daily Metta
November 9: “Those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means.” –Gandhi (Autobiography) What does Gandhi mean when he refuses to separate religion from politics? He means that true realization, or religion, cannot remain silent for long: it requires concrete expression. Consider the life of the founder… read more
“Have you heard of Mondragon?”–Daily Metta
November 8: “If one man can produce one ideal village, he will have provided a pattern not only for the whole country, but perhaps for the whole world.” –Gandhi (Harijan, August 4, 1940) Never underestimate the power of a good example. Gandhi never did. Indeed, he wanted to show through the power of one good… read more
“Understanding an obstruction”–Daily Metta
November 7: “It is an unshakable faith with me that a cause suffers exactly to the extent that it is supported by violence.” –Gandhi (Young India, February 26, 1931) Here’s a question that Gandhi must have had posed many times: What should a person, a movement, institution or society do when they are confronted by… read more
“Nonviolence, the only short-cut”–Daily Metta
November 6: “I do not believe in short-violent-cuts to success.” –Gandhi (Harijan, December 11, 1924) The Global War on Terror tries to sell us the false idea that we can effectively fight terrorism by killing “terrorists,” instead of addressing the conditions that led to terrorism in the first place. A “short-violent-cut to success,” instead of… read more
“The opposite of love”–Daily Metta
November 5: “I am trying every moment of my life to be guided by ahimsa, by love.” –Gandhi (Harijan, January 12, 1934) Hafiz asked Rabia, “O Daughter of God, is hate the opposite of love?” She replied, “No. Love has no opposite.” Rabi’a, the 7th Century mystic from Basra (not yet Iraq) and founder of… read more
“What a smile did”–Daily Metta
November 4: “Not an ounce of nonviolent energy is ever wasted.” –Gandhi (Harijan, January 11, 1948) Mrs. Hartsough (the mother of one of my nonviolence mentors, David Hartsough) stood day after day in front of Hanford WA nuclear plant, to try to reach the conscience of those who worked there with a group of other… read more
“A Successful Strike”–Daily Metta
November 3: “The conditions of a successful strike are simple. And when they are fulfilled, a strike need never fail.” –Gandhi (Young India, February 16, 1921) Would it be a surprise to learn that Gandhi was in favor of laborers and was on the side of strikers throughout his life? Of course not. He knew,… read more
“Gandhi and Mother Cow”–Daily Metta
November 2: “Cow protection to me is one of the most wonderful phenomena in human evolution.” –Gandhi (Harijan, January 1, 1925) Cow protection. Why would Gandhi be concerned about this ancient duty to “Mother Cow”? Hint: it was about more than the cows. The practice, which he said he would “defend against the whole world,”… read more
