March 5: “Some Englishmen state that they took, and they hold, India by the sword. Both these statements are wrong. The sword is entirely useless for holding India. We alone keep them.” –Gandhi (Hind Swaraj, p. 41) The lie that violence projects is that it is all-powerful, and once someone uses it against us we… read more
Posts by Stephanie Van Hook
“Practical Discoveries Await Us”–Daily Metta
March 4: “The proper way to view the present outburst of violence throughout the world is to recognize that the technique of unconquerable nonviolence of the strong has not been at all fully discovered as yet.” -Gandhi ( Harijan, 6-9-1946, p. 174) Here is food for thought: the vast majority of human beings do not… read more
“Doctor as Servant”–Daily Metta
March 3: “The mere title of a doctor is no criterion; a real doctor is he who is a true servant.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 2-10-1946, p. 8) Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish was born in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, and became the first Palestinian to work in an Israeli hospital. Tragically, in 2009, he… read more
“Everyone is a Peacekeeper”–Daily Metta
March 2: “Democracy and dependence on the military and police are incompatible.” -Gandhi (Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 347) Inspired by Gandhi’s vision of personal empowerment, in the pre-school classroom where I work with three to six year olds, we do not designate only one or two people to act as “peacekeeper” for a day.… read more
“Penance not Punishment”–Daily Metta
March 1: “Experience gained in two schools under my control has taught me that punishment does not purify; if anything, it hardens children.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, vol. 2, p. 218) (Pictured: Gandhi’s wife Kasturba, and their four children) One day, Gandhi’s grandson Arun was in Johannesburg with his father, Manilal, getting their car fixed. While… read more
“A life of joy”–Daily Metta
February 28: “Mine is a life full of joy in the midst of incessant work.” –Gandhi (Young India, 10-1-1925, p. 338) (Image: Gandhi was a very brisk walker…) When Gandhi was asked why he never took a vacation, his reply was that he was actually always on vacation. In other words, his mind was at peace, not… read more
“The battle in our hearts”–Daily Metta
February 27: “I do not believe that the Gita teaches violence for doing good. It is pre-eminently a description of the duel that goes on in our own hearts.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 8-24-1934, pp. 392-393) (The battlefield, Krishna and Arjuna in the Gita…) Many people wonder how someone who was committed to nonviolence like… read more
“One Single Satyagrahi”–Daily Metta
February 26: “If one single Satyagrahi holds out to the end, victory is certain.” –Gandhi (Satyagraha in South Africa, p. xiv) A person dedicated to “soul-force” or Satyagraha is a Satyagrahi. Gandhi reminds us that in Satyagraha, the struggle is less about numbers of resistors and more about the quality of our resistance. To… read more
“Beginning with the Family”–Daily Metta
February 25: “Satyagraha is a law of universal application. Beginning with the family, its use can be extended to every other circle.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 3-31-1946) Satyagraha in the family? You better believe it! The more we learn the skills of resisting those closest to us when we are called to do so, the stronger… read more
“Putting Goodness to the Test”–Daily Metta
February 24: “Goodness becomes dynamic only when it is practiced in the face of evil.” –Gandhi (Young India 4-13-1921) For the sake of clarity, let us assume that when Gandhi uses terms like “goodness” and “evil” he is referring not to people, but to conscious actions and thoughts. An action or thought is “evil” when one… read more
