“Nonviolence is who we are.” Michael discusses a quote from Gandhi where he says, “Power is of two kind: fear of punishment or love” as a starting point for understanding nonviolence. Please add your comments below. About Daily Metta Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way… read more
Tag Archives: michael nagler
Victory: Daily Metta
“He then went on solemnly to declare in the name of God that he would never submit to that law, and advised all present to do likewise.” We are, of course, in the Empire Jewish Theater in Johannesburg, South Africa. The date is September 11 (!), 1906, and the speaker being quoted is one Seth… read more
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
No Guarantee: Daily Metta
“The hardest heart and the grossest ignorance must disappear before the rising sun of suffering without anger and without malice.” ~ Gandhi, from Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, XXVI, p. 159 Let’s be realistic. It’s important to realize that while our hard-hearted opponent must be changed by our suffering without anger or malice, her or… read more
Start With the Core: Daily Metta
“The hardest heart and the grossest ignorance must disappear before the rising sun of suffering without anger and without malice.” ~Gandhi, from Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, XXVI, p. 159 Where to begin with this seminal declaration. Let’s start with the core. This is the essential dynamic, or the magic, if you will, of nonviolence,… read more
Three lenses for violence–Daily Metta
“Violence is a failure of the imagination.” In today’s conversation Michael talks about the “three lenses” one can use to look at violence: moral, medical, and educational. He explains why we think the moral model is not working, why the medical model is better, and why the educational model would be best, although we hardly… read more
We feel each other’s pain–Daily Metta
“People would be likely to refrain from harming others if they knew that in doing so they were really harming themselves.” In this video Michael discusses the fact that modern science specifically neuroscience, specifically mirror neurons, confirm that fact that we feel one another’s pain. This is important because if people were more aware of… read more
Durability: Daily Metta
“My non-violence is made of stern stuff. It is firmer than the firmest metal known to the scientist.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma, Vol. 5, p. 169 In his eye-opening book Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient, Norman Cousins points to the paradox that the “hard” sciences are constantly changing, medical treatments can be… read more
Duties Performed: Daily Metta
“If we all discharge our duties, rights will not be far to seek. If, leaving duties unperformed, we run after rights, they will escape us like a will-o-the-wisp.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, Jan. 8, 1925 Gandhi is not the only one to notice that the concept of “rights” can be tricky and runs the risk… read more
