“If we had not adhered to this principle, instead of winning, we would not only have lost all along the line, but also forfeited the sympathy which had been enlisted in our favor.” ~ Gandhi, Satyagraha in South Africa, p. 192

Gandhi is here talking about one of his cherished principles in satyagraha struggles, “no fresh issue,” meaning that a satyagrahi should never pile on another demand just because s/he has gotten some leverage. That would change the dynamic of the interaction from that of a conversation to a power struggle. On the other hand, Gandhi is quick to add here, “if the adversary himself creates new difficulties while the struggle is in progress, they become automatically included in it.” Satyagraha can be subtle, but has a precise logic. The logic of love?

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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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