“Human life is a series of compromises, and it is not always easy to achieve in practice what one has found to be true in theory.” ~ Gandhi, Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 39

The ability to compromise was one of Gandhi’s remarkable, if not baffling, characteristics.  While it often alarmed his friends, in most cases they eventually saw its impressive power.  We gain the ability to compromise in proportion as we gain the ability to see and hold firmly onto what’s essential—usually something basic like human dignity—and realize that the rest is not only inessential but stamped as important by our ego!

Because nonviolence often revolves around issues of moral significance, it is often difficult to recognize and release our hold on the inessentials. Try it, though: it’s one of the most powerful skills we can develop.

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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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