“This government of ours is armed to the teeth to meet and check forces of violence. It possesses nothing to check the mighty forces of nonviolence.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, February, 1921

Nonviolence, when we maintain it in the face of repression and provocation, can be called freedom-in-action because we realize our highest freedom by putting it to the test. In rejecting violence, we directly confront the systems that rely on violence for their defense. If we persist long enough, ever strengthening our commitment to nonviolent discipline in all areas of our life, we can rebuild such systems on a stronger principle of dignity. Imagine if we had courts and a criminal justice system, for example, that could uphold dignity. It’s not impossible, either.

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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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