“The law of love could be best understood and learned through little children.” ~ Gandhi, Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 423

To learn great life lessons from children, we have to shift our view of who they are and what they are capable of. We cannot let ourselves assume a “power over” attitude, using coercion and punishment to have them do what we want; we have to challenge ourselves to maintain a “power with” approach. Children really have it hard in this world, and lack positive models in society. They might have every luxury that life can offer, but it’s not enough. They need loving, caring relationships to learn empathy, trust, and even nonviolence of mind, body, and spirit. It is only in seeing the full humanity of the child that we begin to rediscover our own. If we could let ourselves see it, become immersed in it, war anywhere, poverty anywhere, would be impossible. Let us try.

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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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