“Don’t give up”–Daily Metta

December 18:

“It is much more difficult to live for nonviolence than to die for it.”

–Gandhi (Harijan, January 7, 1939)

Don’t get the man wrong–it is very difficult to die for nonviolence. To risk your life for it is difficult, courageous, and noble. But to live for it? No drama; no heroism — just patience. In order to live for nonviolence, we have to be prepared to live more simply and to work, well, harder, in our daily relationships and duties, which takes time, training, and genuine willpower. It happens every day, while dying happens once (well, let’s not get into reincarnation, yet), and Gandhi affirms anyhow, “to do so requires previous training,” pointing back again at the daily practice involved.

He goes on:

“You have to alter your whole mode of life and work for it [nonviolence] in peace time, just as much as in war. It is no doubt a difficult job. You have to put your whole soul into it; and if you are sincere, your example will affect the lives of other people around you.”

The point is: don’t give up. Nonviolence is demanding and we will miss the mark often, but sometimes we will get it right, catch a glimpse of what is possible, and strive to have more moments like that one. Gandhi would have “lived and died in vain” (see December 16) if he did not show us that such a journey was worth the effort.

Experiment in Nonviolence:

Did you miss your mark today in nonviolence? Take courage and keep at it. Did you have a positive experience in nonviolence today? Make note of it.