In this talk, Michael addresses the very common misconception about nonviolence, only slightly less common than it was in 1906, that it is the absence of violence purely and simply, and therefore a very weak force, if a force at all. Please add your comments below. About Daily Metta Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s… read more
Tag Archives: daily metta
The Secret: Daily Metta
“Everyone should realize the secret that oppression thrives only when the oppressed submit to it.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma vol. 7, p.192 This is where Gandhi’s vision overlaps with that of the “strategic” school of nonviolence that emphasizes the withdrawal of consent as the major power of nonviolence, and traces the idea back to the French… read more
Unity of Purpose: Daily Metta
“To me I seem to be constantly growing. I must respond to varying conditions and yet remain changeless within.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma vol 2, p. 265 With characteristic humility, Gandhi says that he “seems” to himself to be constantly growing. He was, of course. Because his firm grasp on the unvarying principle of nonviolence allowed… read more
Being Human: Daily Metta
“Unless the mind and the body and the soul are made to work in unison, they cannot be adequately used for the service of mankind.” ~ Gandhi, The Gita According to Gandhi, p. 208 What is a human being? Gandhi answers: Mind, body and spirit. Work that lasts, that uplifts and ennobles, needs to have… read more
Habit: Daily Metta
“Habit is not nature.” ~ Gandhi, The Gita According to Gandhi, p. 187 If our nature is good, then why do we do things that harm ourselves and others? Because there is a difference between habit and nature. We might acquire a negative habit—of judgment rather than mercy; of condemnation rather than forgiveness; of self-centeredness… read more
Charitable Acts: Daily Metta
“A man of charity does not even know that he is doing charitable acts, it is his nature to do so, he cannot help it.” ~ Gandhi, The Gita According to Gandhi, p. 185 Gandhi firmly believed that our nature is good. We do not need to prove it to ourselves by having others affirm… read more
Power of Vulnerability–Daily Metta
“Everyone is experiencing nonviolence but since they don’t have a name for it, it doesn’t stick.” Michael recaps the story on page 43 of Search for a Nonviolent Future, of the woman who stood up to her husband, which illustrates three interesting points about nonviolence: a)there is no name for it that we recognize; b)… read more
A Seed Sown: Daily Metta
“The seed is never seen. It works underneath the ground, is itself destroyed, and the tree which rises above the ground is alone seen.” ~ Gandhi, Hind Swaraj, Chapter 2 Gandhi wanted us to understand that no single event, great or small, is an end in itself. Each one leads to something down the line:… read more
True Swaraj
“You are impatient. I cannot afford to be likewise.” ~ Gandhi, Hind Swaraj, Chptr 1 Nonviolence requires patience and Gandhi knew this. In Hind Swaraj, he frequently describes the various movements for a free India not under the categories of violent or nonviolent, but by the kind of energy behind the actions of those who… read more
Home Rule: Daily Metta
“The views I venture to place before the reader are, needless to say, held by many Indians…and they are also held by thousands of Europeans.” ~ Gandhi, Hind Swaraj Gandhi wrote Hind Swaraj, or Indian Home Rule, in 1909 while on board the Kildonan Castle taking him from England to South Africa. Written in Gujarati,… read more
