March 12:

“You may have occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in never missing them.”

–Gandhi (Harijan, 12-10-1938, p. 371)

There is a wonderful story about Gandhi’s relationship to material things, in this case, his hand-made sandals. As he was catching a train, one of his sandals fell off and landed in the tracks. The train was pulling away, and there was no time to jump down and pick it up. Without even a thought, Gandhi simply took off his other sandal and threw it into the track to rejoin the lost other. That way, when someone found them, they would have a new pair of sandals to wear, instead of turning both into junk. The sandals, while important to him, were not so important that he should grieve losing one because his sense of security, he was aware, did not come from anything outside himself. Instead, he instinctively transformed the situation into an opportunity for service and self-sacrifice, and got closer to the great spirit of nonviolence within.

Experiment in Nonviolence:

Reflect and write down one lesson you can draw from Gandhi’s example with his sandals.

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.