The Metta Center team has started exploring questions related to nonviolence every week. We take turns with the question-asking; whoever feels called to pose a question puts one out there. Some questions relate to personal circumstances, while others pertain to views about nonviolence in our broader culture. What’s on our minds and in our hearts:… read more
Our latest newsletter reflects on two contrasting events from October 2: Gandhi’s birthday and the horrible tragedy in Las Vegas. What we feel compelled to say: We can act in ways that express our love for each other and this land. We can continue the constructive work of building a more peaceful, nonviolent world, one… read more
It’s no surprise that at times like this the Metta Center should be called on, resorted to, and consulted with more and more; and that’s at least one silver lining to the dark clouds on our political horizon, even as the world celebrates the International Day of Peace on September 21. In this week’s newsletter,… read more
“Knowledge is like a river,” said Sri Mata Amritanandamayi. “Its nature is to constantly flow. Wherever it can flow, it does so, nourishing culture. On the other hand, the same knowledge, if devoid of values becomes a source of destruction for the world.” Nonviolence values are a constructive force. So in this week’s newsletter, we… read more
Recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia—and many other events before and since the 2016 elections in the US—make it clear that creating a culture of nonviolence requires learning the knowledge, skills, and practices that support it. That learning can happen right now, in two key areas of daily life: our schools and our homes. The Educators… read more
Mullein, a “weed” whose seeds can lay dormant for over 100 years knows its purpose. These plants break up dry soil, their taproots mining nutrients that feed other plant life. Their tall seed heads produce 100,000 to 180,000 seeds, sustaining birds. Mullein live for 2 years, leaving behind mineral-rich matter. What about our purpose? Find… read more
Bringing Back Democracy What’s the underlying belief about human nature that’s making the erosion of democracy possible, and how can we repair it? That’s a question we ought to be asking. “Tyranny feeds on the belief that we are separate from one another,” writes Michael Nagler in his intro. “Democracy, and its signal feature of… read more
Love & Revolution: A Time for Growth In her book The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century, Grace Lee Boggs writes about how linking Love and Revolution is an idea whose time has come. We couldn’t agree more! Today we’ve released our bi-weekly newsletter under a new name: Practical Idealist. To us, this… read more
We All Have the Power The conventional thinking on power is that it is strictly external, a brutal force that rains down on us “ordinary” people. Yet there’s a much richer view of power, one that increases our capacity for empathy, by building inner strength through practices like meditation. Today’s newsletter touches upon our inner… read more
Clarity, Not Confusion The speed with which things are moving in opposite directions today is exciting—if not scary! And it’s worldwide: Finland just moved to the right and France to the left, mirroring internal trends in US politics. It shows that people are seriously confused about the state of the world and the forces that… read more
