April 14 “The strength to kill is not essential for self-defense; one ought to have the strength to die.” –Gandhi (Young India 102101939, p, 27) One of my all time favorite stories of nonviolence in action is that of 92-year old, Pauline Jacobi. Getting into her car in the parking lot of her local Tennessee… read more
Tag Archives: daily metta
“Nonviolence not non-action”–Daily Metta
April 13 “Not knowing the stuff of which nonviolence is made, many have honestly believed that running away from danger every time was a virtue compared to offering resistance.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 7-20-1935, pp. 180-181) One of the most insidious misconceptions about nonviolence pervading popular culture is that it means doing nothing at all. We’ve… read more
“Real Lovers of God”–Daily Metta
April 11 “I decline to be bound by an interpretation [of a religion], however learned it may be, if it is repugnant to reason or moral sense.” –Gandhi (Young India, 10-6-1921, p. 317) Gandhi’s favorite hymn, “Vaishnava Jana To” or “The True Lover of God,” was composed by 15th century Gujarati poet-mystic, Narsinha Mehta. So… read more
“Humanizing our so-called enemy”–Daily Metta
April 10 “No man can look upon another as an enemy unless he first becomes his own enemy.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, Vol. 7, p. 204) In nonviolence, we don’t need to turn enemies into close, dear friends, but at least we can turn them into human beings. Such a transformation is not simply an ideal–it can… read more
“Mutual Respect and Service”–Daily Metta
April 8: “My effort should never be to undermine another’s faith, but to make him a better follower of his own faith.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, Vol. 2, p. 343) Throughout Gandhi’s life, especially in the early days, many of his friends wanted to convert him to Christianity, thinking that Hinduism–his own religion–was inferior. For example,… read more
Be Fearless & Take Action: Newsletter
Want to take action but aren’t sure how—or where to start? Be fearless! Find a friendly nudge and some practical calls-to-action in our latest newsletter. Read the April 22, 2015 newsletter. Subscribe to Metta Center’s bi-weekly newsletter.… read more
“Conversion not destruction”–Daily Metta
April 7: “I believe in the conversion of mankind, not its destruction.” –Gandhi (CWMG, Vol. XXV, p, 531) The prison system based on a retributive justice model is one of the most stark institutional examples of the need to change our vision of who we are as human beings. It destroys human dignity and self-respect,… read more
“Independence from the bottom up”–Daily Metta
April 6: “Independence must begin at the bottom.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 7-28-1946, p. 236) On April 6, 1930, the Great Salt March reached the shore in Dandi, 80, 000 marchers strong, to break the salt law in India, which stated that Indians did not have British permission to make salt from their own supply on… read more
“Duty of Bread Labor”–Daily Metta
April 5: “Return to the villages means a definite, voluntary recognition of the duty of bread labor, and all it connotes.” –Gandhi (Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 201) Freedom, for Gandhi, always begins with basic needs. When we let our ability to meet our needs in community atrophy, we make ourselves vulnerable to those who… read more
“A Solid Basis for Nonviolence”–Daily Metta
April 2: “You cannot build nonviolence on a factory civilization, but it can be built on self-contained villages.” –Gandhi (1-20-1940, p. 423) As we transition toward a nonviolent future, Gandhi warns us, the way that we do business will need to change. A “civilization” based on the factory is no civilization worth speaking of, because… read more
