“Khadi mentality means decentralization of the production and distribution of the necessities of life.” ~ Gandhi, Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 406

Once again we see how khadi (cotton spinning) was iconic for the entire program of economic uplift for India—and her freedom. Imagine the freedom and security it would bring us, or anyone, if the basic necessities of our life could never be captured by remote, monopolistic, and greed-driven entities. Remember how regaining control over the manufacture of cloth, and then salt, were the two powerful campaigns that wrested back India’s freedom from the colonial stranglehold. But we’re extending that logic here to the way things are managed even in a “free” India. No wonder Gandhi said, elsewhere, “If India is to be nonviolent she will have to decentralize many things.”

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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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