February 14:

“The force of love is the same as the force of the soul or truth. We have evidence of it working at every step. The universe would disappear without the existence of that force.”

–Gandhi (Hind Swaraj, pp. 77-79)

What passes for love in popular music videos, television, and film often has very little to do with what Gandhi means by the force of love. Instead, what we often see is an intersection of coercion, aggression, mere physical desire, passivity (“falling in love” as though it took no work, or putting up with abuse in the name of “loving” someone), selfishness and manipulation for personal gain pretending to be love. Love is the antithesis of these states. More like a skill and an art, love is active, sincere, and simple. When consciously harnessed and applied to our relationships big and small, it becomes identical with the practice of nonviolence. Capable as we all are– by virtue of being human — of this kind of love, we nonetheless have to develop this skill daily to know its full potential.

 

Experiment in Nonviolence:

Boycott the next film or product that misrepresents love as a passive or selfish state. Take that energy and apply it to the practice of working for the welfare of another.

 

Daily Metta 2015, a service of the Metta Center for Nonviolence, is a daily reflection on the strategic and spiritual insights of Mahatma Gandhi in thought, word and deed. As Gandhi called his life an “experiment in truth,” we have included an experiment in nonviolence to accompany each Daily Metta. Check in every day for new inspiration. Each year will be dedicated to another wisdom teacher.