January 16 “This mad rush for wealth must cease, and the laborer must be assured, not only of a living wage, but a daily task that is not a mere drudgery.” -Gandhi (Harijan, 11-2-1934) The Sanskrit term svadharma is integral to the vision of a nonviolent world. The concept means that everyone has her or… read more
Posts by Stephanie Van Hook
“Economics of Justice”–Daily Metta
January 15 “True economics is the economics of justice.” –Gandhi (Gandhi paraphrasing Unto this last, pp. 50-53, from Sarvodaya, p. 33) (After reading John Ruskin’s Unto this Last Gandhi established Phoenix Settlement in South Africa.) A woman steps out of her limousine in front of a five star hotel. Money is falling out of her pockets… read more
“Nonviolence as a Cure”– Daily Metta
January 14 “To remove the disease, we must first find the underlying cause. To find the remedy will then be a comparatively easy task.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 9-15-1940) When tragedy happens, the mass media lure us into asking trivial questions that lead us ever further away from the cause. What kind of bullet was he… read more
“Expanding Our Love”–Daily Metta
January 13 “The more we give up our attachment to the physical frame of the person we love, the purer and more expansive our love grows.” –Gandhi (Letter to ashramite Prabhudas, 2-2-18, from Day to Day with Gandhi, vol. 1, p. 21) Another term for nonviolence is love-in-action. It’s not always an apt term, because… read more
MLK Day for Early Childhood with Songs
If you are an early childhood educator, you bring music into the classroom on a daily basis. Do not miss the opportunity as you discuss the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1960s African American Freedom Struggle this month to bring songs to share. Find ways of incorporating gestures and… read more
“Nonviolence as an Evolutionary Force”–Daily Metta
January 12 “Non-cooperation is a process of evolution: it has most aptly been described as Evolutionary Revolution.” –Gandhi (Young India, February 23, 1921) Gandhi understood that nonviolent non-cooperation against a State, aka civil resistance, meant a closer form of cooperation among people. Assured that such actions would not lead to disorder or chaos, he put… read more
Humility and Nonviolence–Daily Metta
January 11 “The spirit of nonviolence necessarily leads to humility.” -Gandhi (Young India, January 12, 1921) Humility is one of those delicate virtues that disappears the moment we think that we have attained it. If Gandhi was a humble man, it was not because he lived frugally or because he wore only home-spun khadi, or… read more
Dr. King on Loving Enemies- then and now (PPR podcast)
“Nonviolence aims at the restoration of relationships.” -Michael Nagler on this week’s episode of Peace Paradigm Radio! In this week’s show, Stephanie and Michael get into a passionate discussion on nonviolent strategy in our bi-monthly nonviolence in the news report and both emerge with new insights about this great power. As January is the… read more
Self-Discipline and Nonviolence–Daily Metta
January 10 “Violence like water, when it has an outlet, rushes forward furiously with an overwhelming force. Nonviolence cannot act madly. It is the essence of discipline.” –Gandhi, (Harijan, 3-21-1939) A friend recently confided in me that if he had not had the nonviolent mentorship of an adult in his life at a key moment,… read more
“Beauty, Purpose, Nonviolence”–Daily Metta
January 9 “I cannot impose my personal faith on others, never on a national organization. I can but try to convince the nation of its beauty and its usefulness.” -Gandhi (Young India, 11-20-1924) Perhaps Antoine de St. Exupery was influenced by Gandhi when he wrote, “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum… read more
