Daily Metta for March 10: “Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary reduction of wants.” –Gandhi (Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 189) There is nothing wrong with having what we need to live well, and even thrive. Gandhi’s concern, however, is that consumerism,… read more
Tag Archives: daily metta
“Rebel against unworthy restraints”–Daily Metta
March 9: “I advise women to resort to civil rebellion against all undesirable and unworthy restraints.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 3-23-1947 p. 80) In India (as well as in all other places where Indians live) the celebration of Holi announces the arrival of springtime. Rose petals, marigolds, multi-hued powders and water-balloons are tossed in the air, signifying… read more
“Penance not Punishment”–Daily Metta
March 1: “Experience gained in two schools under my control has taught me that punishment does not purify; if anything, it hardens children.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, vol. 2, p. 218) (Pictured: Gandhi’s wife Kasturba, and their four children) One day, Gandhi’s grandson Arun was in Johannesburg with his father, Manilal, getting their car fixed. While… read more
“Love like Gravity”–Daily Metta
February 4 “The law of love will work, just as the law of gravitation will work, whether we accept it or not.” –Gandhi (The Nation’s Voice, Part II, pp. 109-110) Gandhi was a scientist when it came to the practice of nonviolence. He carried out precise experiments in every aspect of his life, driven by… read more
“Tending Toward Truth”–Daily Metta
January 29: “Every moment of our life should be filled with mental or physical activity but that activity should be sattvika, tending to truth.” –Gandhi (From Yervada Mandir, pp. 23-26) Energy drives the human being and all of life, but not all energy is the same. The Bhagavad Gita breaks it down into three… read more
“Necessities and Nonviolence”–Daily Metta
January 28 “A starving man thinks first of satisfying his hunger before anything else.” -Gandhi (Young India, 3-18-1926) At the basis of the Indian Freedom Struggle was the spinning wheel. It represented independence through grassroots employment and freedom from the dependence on the British to supply their basic need of cloth. Gandhi worked endlessly… read more
“Life and Death”–Daily Metta
January 27 “Bereavement ceases to leave us desolate when the death of our dear one only spurs us on to a more vivid consciousness of our duty.” –Gandhi (Letter to Devdas, 7-24-1918, from Day to Day with Gandhi, vol. 1, p. 196) In a magnificent letter from 1918 to his son, Devdas, who was grieving… read more
“Education of the Heart”–Daily Metta
January 22 “I do not believe that an education of the heart can be imparted through books. It can only be done through the living touch of the teacher.” –M.K. Gandhi (Young India, September 1, 1921) A nonviolent education requires the integral development of the whole person. Gandhi’s vision of a new education or “nai… read more
“Ending Class Consciousness”–Daily Metta
January 20 “The practice of law ought not to mean taking more daily than, say, a village carpenter’s wage.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 7-13-1940) Did thinking alone ever cook a meal? While both have their place in the healthy functioning of a culture, society teaches us that some work is “naturally” more important and more valuable than… read more
“Understanding Crime”–Daily Metta
January 17 “No one commits crime for the fun of it.” –Gandhi (Harijan, 11-2-1947) In order to inflict violence on someone, we must first dehumanize them. For this reason, Gandhi maintained that words like “crime” and “criminal” should be erased from our vocabulary. These words help us write off the dignity of the human being… read more
