February 8

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.”

–Gandhi (The Story of My Experiments in Truth)

The story of nonviolence will always be the story of the people’s victories–the expression of the irrepressible  inner desire of the human being for freedom with dignity. Since Gandhi, we have seen a dramatic increase in nonviolent social struggles for justice, and the successes of these movements and campaigns are helping us by and large to piece together a larger canon of the history of nonviolent action–a new, dynamic vision of our capacity as human beings–upheld by actual experiments in nonviolent power. Howard Zinn, Gene Sharp, Stephen Zunes, Erica Chenoweth and Maciej Bartkowski, just to name a few, have done much in the way of documenting and analyzing nonviolence in action throughout history.  Such historiography is essential and constructive work in the creation of a new narrative about the human image–we are not destined to conquer one another by violence and hatred; rather, we are destined to evolve our capacity to care for and protect all living beings.

Experiment in Nonviolence:

Learn about a nonviolent struggle in history. Share it with someone. Think about starting a study group or reading circle with your friends to learn about and be inspired by this growing history.

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.