“Non-cooperation in an angry atmosphere is an impossibility.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, 2, p. 12

In this apparently puzzling observation we have once again a reminder, which we seem to need so often in our present culture, that intention, state of mind, is what determines the significance, and effectiveness, of our actions. If we withdraw our cooperation out of anger all we’re doing is quarreling; this is not the nonviolent technique that Martin Luther King, Jr. for example cited when he said that “non-cooperation with evil is as important as cooperation with good.” It just means more “evil,” i.e. alienation on the human level. Once again, the principle is that we are against an action, not the person doing it; and when we keep that distinction clear, it helps the opponent dis-identify with his or her action, and in time drop it.

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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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