“I may not harbor ill-will even against a Dyer. I regard ill-will as beneath the dignity of man.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, September 12, 1929

How often do we hear the insight that Gandhi is offering us? Ill-will, he maintains, is not worthy of human beings; yet the media and our culture generally are intent on making us believe that ill-will helps us, that resentment frees and empowers us. What would happen to us if we actually believed that message deep within? Gandhi said that even Dyer, the general who ordered the massacre of peaceful protestors, increased his determination to have the British “quit India.” But he says that he will not hate him. Take a moment to consider what he is saying and the effect it must have had on those who looked to him for support: we are stronger than colonialism because we are stronger than hatred.

Thanks for sharing a comment below.

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.

Enjoy more Daily Metta: See the  archives

Get Daily Metta by email: Subscribe