April 2: “You cannot build nonviolence on a factory civilization, but it can be built on self-contained villages.” –Gandhi (1-20-1940, p. 423) As we transition toward a nonviolent future, Gandhi warns us, the way that we do business will need to change. A “civilization” based on the factory is no civilization worth speaking of, because… read more
Posts by Stephanie Van Hook
“What is necessary?”–Daily Metta
April 1: “A Swadeshist will learn to do without hundreds of things which today he considers necessary.” —Gandhi (Selected Writings pp. 336-44) Many people still feel that localism, or swadeshi, is a far-fetched, unrealistic notion. Certainly, it is not without its complexities, but it is not beyond us to strive toward it regularly, even… read more
“My swadeshi”–Daily Metta
March 31: “My Swadeshi, therefore, chiefly centers around the hand-spun Khaddar and extends to everything that can be and is produced in India.” –Gandhi (Young India 3-12-1925, p. 88) Swadeshi was a very important concept for Gandhi and the Indian Freedom Struggle. Swa- meaning ‘one’s own,’ and desh–meaning ‘country,’ the practice of swadeshi was the… read more
“The Motive and the Quality”–Daily Metta
March 30: “The motive will determine the quality of the act.” –Gandhi (Selected Writings pp. 336-44) The word nonviolence is a very rough translation of the Sanskrit ahimsa, which literally means “the negation of the desire or intent to harm.” Beyond focusing on the act alone, we must look at the state of mind in… read more
“He who has no enemies”–Daily Metta
March 29: “For one who follows this doctrine [Ahimsa] there is no room for an enemy.” –Gandhi (February 16, 1916, Selected Writings, pp. 377-390) In the classic Indian epic The Mahabharata, one of the heroes, Yuddhisthira, has the epithet Ajatashatru, meaning, “he who has no enemies.” After his death, he arrives in heaven. The inevitable… read more
“No means no–and yes means yes”–Daily Metta
March 28: “In our Ashram we make it a rule that we must say ‘No’ when we mean ‘No,’ regardless of the consequences.” –Gandhi (February 16, 1916, Selected Writings, pp. 377-390) How many resentments begin when we are not clear with our boundaries and limits, when we say ‘yes’ out of a feeling of fear… read more
“Seek Within Humanity”–Daily Metta
March 27 “If I could persuade myself that I could find [God] in a Himalayan cave, I would proceed there immediately. But I know I cannot find [God] apart from humanity.” —Gandhi (Harijan, 8-29-1936, p. 226) Gandhi was known as a karma-yogi, meaning that his spiritual path was one of engagement and selfless action.… read more
“Beyond Tolerance”–Daily Metta
March 26: “If we want to cultivate a true spirit of democracy, we cannot afford to be intolerant.” –Gandhi (Young India, 2-2-1921, p. 33) The spirit of democracy is based on the value of the individual human person. To be intolerant of anyone based on our particular likes, dislikes, or even fears, is therefore a… read more
“Boundless Patience”–Daily Metta
March 25: “Those who believe in the justice of their cause need to possess boundless patience.” –Gandhi (Young India, 4-28-1929, p.4-8) In Arabic one word for nonviolence is sabr, ‘patience’. Even though it has been statistically proven by Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan that nonviolent transitions to democracy, contrary to popular belief, are three times… read more
“Knowing our limitations”–Daily Metta
March 24: “I have wisdom enough to know my limitations.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 7-23-1938, p. 193) While violence asks us to think of the limitations of others and ourselves as weaknesses, knowledge of our own limitations is a strength in nonviolence, because the discipline of nonviolence, when understood as a broad ‘experiment with truth,’ gives us… read more
