In Brief: Pledge of Nonviolence

“Believing as we do that life is an interconnected whole, and that there is an inescapable harmony between means and ends, and convinced by the proven effectiveness of nonviolent struggles in a just cause, we take the following pledge…”

And so begins Metta Center’s “A Pledge of Nonviolence.” Pledging to nonviolence of course requires so much more than adding our names to a list (if only it were that easy!); it’s a serious commitment gracing every aspect of our lives.

I’ve signed the pledge as a friendly reminder to myself: “This is the path you’ve chosen. Tread with gentle feet, go forward with a courageous heart.”

To take the pledge is to commit to a lifetime of exploration and learning. I make mistakes (the blunders I can make sometimes!) and encounter unsureness, but I find these experiences incredibly freeing. As unsettling as some of these moments can be, I ultimately know that they’re stepping stones between what was and will be.

Nonviolence is always a present-moment opportunity. It’s how we put our intentions and knowledge into play; it’s where our deepest hearts’ longing for peace and total freedom meet our minds’ capacities to see connection.

“…[W]e will refrain from violence in deed, word, and as far as possible even in thought.”

This part of the Pledge’s first point can be very hard to meet, especially in times calling for urgent and simultaneous action on so many fronts. It can feel overwhelming, even exasperating. And that is why taking the pledge involves recognizing our greatest strength, our ability to grow into who we already are—conscious, creative, loving beings.