“It is wrong and immoral to seek to escape the consequences of one’s acts.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, March 12, 1925

While this may sound harsh—and the context was artificial methods of birth control —there’s a very uplifting assumption behind it, or rather, two: 1) that the universe is not a punishing place but a teaching place. In Indian terms, the inexorable law of karma is a teaching instrument: Gandhi goes on to say that if we overeat, tummyache is there to help us curb our appetite next time. And 2) that we are active agents, not passive victims as the “old story” of materialism would have and has had us believe. To take responsibility is to take control. In any restorative justice system, whether in school or prison, the first step is to allow the offending person to take responsibility for what he or she has done.

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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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