“My non-violence is made of stern stuff. It is firmer than the firmest metal known to the scientist.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, Vol. 5, p. 169
In his eye-opening book Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient, Norman Cousins points to the paradox that the “hard” sciences are constantly changing, medical treatments can be swept away in 25 years, while the “soft” humanities deal with principles that never change. In the quote above, Gandhi is using some extreme language to drive home the same point. After all, as the Buddha had said millennia ago, “hatred ceases only by love; this is an eternal law.” It is only when we narrow our vision to the very short term that it appears that metal is more durable than love.
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About Daily Metta
Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way to share Gandhi’s spiritual wisdom and experiments with nonviolence.
Our 2016 Daily Metta continues with Gandhi on weekdays. On weekends, we share videos that complement Michael Nagler’s award-winning book, The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A Promise of Peace for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our World. To help readers engage with the book more deeply, the Metta Center offers a free PDF study guide.
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By: Prof. Michael Nagler
As the Founder and President of Metta Center, Michael Nagler is also Professor Emeritus of Classics and Comparative Literature at UC, Berkeley, where he co-founded the Peace and Conflict Studies Program. Michael is the author of The Search for a Nonviolent Future and The Nonviolence Handbook: A Guide for Practical Action. His latest book is The Third Harmony: Nonviolence & the New Story of Human Nature. Visit his website: michaelnagler.org.
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