“(As the Devil takes advantage of our weaknesses) even so does the government retain its control over us through our weaknesses and vices. And if we would render ourselves proof against its machinations we must remove our weaknesses. It is for that reason that I have called Non-cooperation a process of purification.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, November 24, 1920

Gandhi insisted since his experiences in South Africa that there was a clear line from Hindu society’s relegation of one-fifth of its members to “untouchability” and the domination exercised over Indians by the white race. There can be no swaraj without the removal of untouchability: in fact, untouchability itself enslaves the privileged, the “scheduled castes” more than it does the “pariahs.” First self-purification, then independence; because self-purification is independence. First Constructive Programme, then active resistance where it’s still needed. One’s own weakness can be a bitter pill to swallow, but see how the bitterness and acrimony are lifted from a struggle when cease blaming the oppressor exclusively for our oppression. That is why a truly nonviolent insurrection always means a true advance for humanity.

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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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