“My personal religion peremptorily forbids me to hate anybody.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, August 6, 1925 When the heart is full of love, there is no room for hatred. That does not mean that there is no space to resist injustice, or to say no to someone who needs to hear it—on the contrary. It… read more
Posts by Stephanie Van Hook
Tips for Families Post-Election
In the Midst of Chaos Six Tips for Peacebuilding Families We are are all enveloped in our chaotic lives, spurred by current events, and many among us are especially concerned especially over the US election of a President who ran on a platform of overt bullying. What are we supposed to say to the… read more
Real Swaraj: Daily Metta
[R]eal Swaraj will come, not by the acquisition of authority by a few, but by the acquisition of the capacity by all to resist authority when it is abused. In other words, Swaraj is to be attained by educating the masses to a sense of their capacity to regulate and control authority. ~ Gandhi, Young… read more
Truth Be Told: Daily Metta
“Suspicion is of the brood of violence. Nonviolence cannot but trust.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, May 20, 1925 Nonviolence is never about changing another person directly. It’s always about changing ourselves in order to see more directly into the heart of a conflict and effect transformation there, which can, in time, change others. Truth be… read more
Permanent Good: Daily Metta
“Some of the immediate and brilliant results of modern inventions are too maddening to resist. But I have no manner of doubt that the victory of [wo]man lies in that resistance. We are in danger of bartering away the permanent good for a momentary pleasure.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, June 2, 1927 Perhaps it is… read more
Nature’s Laws: Daily Metta
“Nature is relentless and will have full revenge for any such violation of her laws.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, March 12, 1925 Nature has its laws. Some we can see take effect immediately when they are violated, such as the pollution of a river; some remain unseen, such as selfishness and egotism (“nature,” you see,… read more
Inner culture of nonviolence: Daily Metta Weekend Video
Michael Nagler discusses the famous scientific study by Wheeler and Fisk on predisposition for prejudice and the effects of humanization on the amygdala as he reviews the opening of Chapter 6 in Search for a Nonviolent Future. About Daily Metta Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as… read more
Our Entire Life: Daily Metta
“I will struggle so that I will either break the bonds or break myself in the effort.” ~ Gandhi, Harijan, February 10, 1946 Gandhi was asked all kinds of tough questions about putting nonviolence into action. Most questions came from a disbelief that nonviolence can really be a form of self-defense and protection. Here, someone… read more
Science of Nonviolence: Parent Power
Nonviolence has a scientific basis. Learn about a few recent discoveries in this short podcast. Listen in here or underneath the bio box below! http://archives.mettacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/parent-power-nv-science.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS… read more
Gandhi Searches for Truth: Book FAQs
After fielding some commonly asked questions about my new book, Gandhi Searches for Truth: A Practical Biography for Children, I thought it’d be useful to post my answers here, so that others may learn more about the book and Gandhi. Have questions about bulk orders for your school, bookstore, or library? Please email me for… read more
