December 31: “I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.” –Gandhi (Harijan, October 3, 1936) Anyone. All of us. That is what Gandhi is telling us about the force… read more
Tag Archives: daily metta
“Nonviolence transforms hostility”–Daily Metta
December 30: “Nonviolence to be worth anything has to work in the face of hostile forces.” –Gandhi (Harijan, March 20, 1937) It was a tense situation. The Meta Peace Team was at work at an annual Neo-nazi rally in Ann Arbor, and there were always people who hated Nazis who could get extremely worked up.… read more
“What lies behind”–Daily Metta
December 29: “True art takes note not merely of form but also of what lies behind.” –Gandhi (The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 56) The word ‘nonviolence’ can sometimes conjure up notions of austerity and discipline (I’m thinking of a toothless and tireless Gandhi post-fasting). But that discipline is only so that we can… read more
“More than India’s freedom”–Daily Metta
December 28: “Our struggle does not end so long as there is a single human being considered untouchable by his birth.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, Vol. 3, p.239) If anyone still thought that Gandhi was only a strategist wanting political freedom from the British, these words of the Mahatma should put that idea to rest. Hi… read more
“Join the experiment”–Daily Metta
December 27: “Those who are attracted to nonviolence, should, according to their ability and opportunity, join the experiment.” –Gandhi (Harijan, August 11, 1940) If you heard these words directly from Gandhi in 1940, would you take them more seriously than if you were reading them today? Gandhi’s call was as relevant then as now. We,… read more
“What do you want the most?”–Daily Metta
December 25: “The force of the spirit is ever progressive and endless. Its full expression makes it unconquerable in the world.” –Gandhi (Harijan, February 10, 1946) The other day at school, my six year-old friend Ben came over to me with a few questions that were on his mind about Gandhi. For the past year,… read more
“Profuse shower of love”–Daily Metta
December 24: “It is a heavy downpour of rain which drenches the soil to fullness, likewise only a profuse shower of love overcomes hatred.” –Gandhi (Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. XIV, p. 402) In Chapter Four of Search for a Nonviolent Future, Michael Nagler compares violence to the weather. “The weather,” he says, “is… read more
“Gandhi’s bold statement”–Daily Metta
December 23: “Western democracy, as it functions today, is diluted Nazism or Fascism.” –Gandhi (Harijan, May 18, 1940) Gandhi made this rather harsh remark in a discussion with an American friend on the topic of nonviolence and democracy. Gandhi was convinced that democracy could only be saved through nonviolence. Note the date, 1940, and the… read more
“Exploring Our Moral Sensitivity” — Daily Metta
December 22: “To answer brutality with brutality is to admit one’s moral and intellectual bankruptcy, and it can only start a vicious cycle.” —Gandhi (Harijan, June 1947, p. 174) As usual, Gandhi’s vision is both theoretical (“moral bankruptcy”) and intensely practical, pointing to the effect we can all observe today, that brutality leads to a… read more
“The protest will go on”–Daily Metta
December 19: “Every murder or other injury, no matter for what cause, committed or inflicted on another is crime against humanity.” –Gandhi (Harijan, July 20, 1935) Here’s a story, short and sweet about nonviolence in action. But first, let’s review the principle of non-embarrassment. It’s when the opposition is not able to fully listen to… read more
