September 26: “There is no word ‘disappointment’ in my dictionary.” –Gandhi (Day to Day with Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 4) “Swaraj in one year!” This was the cry that Gandhi used to ignite non-cooperation in 1921; however, Independence did not take place that year, nor for another 26, to be precise! Someone came to Gandhi and… read more
Tag Archives: gandhi
“Finding the perfect bed-time”–Daily Metta
September 25: “I am experimenting.” –Gandhi (Harijan, July 23, 1938) One of the most rewarding things we can do to support our very busy lives is to establish a routine. An ideal one would integrate care for the health of the mind, body and spirit every day, balancing time for oneself with time with others,… read more
“Lysistrata–more than a play”–Daily Metta
September 24: “I want women to learn the primary right of resistance.” –Gandhi (Harijan, September 12, 1936) Greek comic poet Aristophanes is probably most famous for his play Lysistrata, a story about war and the women who resisted it. How did they do it? By withholding sexual privileges from their husbands until reconciliation between Sparta… read more
“Mother Teresa and Gandhiji”–Daily Metta
September 23: “The contrast between the rich and the poor today is a painful sight.” –Gandhi (Harijan, March 31, 1946) Very often, when people associate others with Gandhi, they think of Mother Teresa. But what is it that they have in common? While she was not leading a political or even economic movement, we might… read more
“My duty to love you”–Daily Metta
September 22: “I do not love you because you agree to love me. I love you because I feel it is my duty to love you.” –Gandhi (Day to Day with Gandhi, Volume 4) In the Dhammapada, the Buddha points out a sad but familiar dynamic between us human beings; namely, “people will blame you… read more
“International Day of Peace”–Daily Metta
September 21: “I can say with confidence that if the world is to have peace, nonviolence is the means to that end and no other.” –Gandhi (Harijan, July 20, 1947) On International Day of Peace, what better way to celebrate than to remember that peace is something we can–must–learn. It is not a question of… read more
“People can change for the better”–Daily Metta
September 20: “My faith in human nature is irrepressible and even under the circumstances of a most adverse character.” –Gandhi (Young India, January 1, 1920) Faith in human nature sounds naive and foolish. But why should it be? For those who long for a nonviolent alternative to our educational, political, and even criminal justice systems,… read more
“Hidden depths of nonviolence”–Daily Metta
September 19 “I am but a humble explorer of the science of nonviolence. Its hidden depths sometimes stagger me just as much as they stagger my fellow-workers.” –Gandhi (Young India, November 20 1924) To explore the science of nonviolence is more than a study of books or movements. When you get down to it, really,… read more
“Can kids learn non-cooperation?”–Daily Metta
September 18: “Power rightly exercised must sit light as a flower; no one should feel the weight of it.” –Gandhi (Towards New Horizons, Pyarelal, from Mahatma Gandhi, The Last Phase) If society is to learn the art of non-cooperation, education for it should begin in childhood. Well, actually, it already does, but most of us… read more
“Transforming a school with dignity”–Daily Metta
September 17: “I refuse to suspect human nature. It will, is bound to, respond to any noble and friendly action.” –Gandhi (Young India, August 4, 1920) When Andrew Bott became the sixth principal in seven years at of one of the worst performing public schools in Massachusetts, he did something crazy: he fired the security… read more
