I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but I am a big fan of daily resolve. Each day brings the opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been, to renew our intentions and ideals. Flowers that gently bust through concrete is an apt visual of resolve: lay down your roots, stay determined and you’ll get… read more
“I can conceive occasions when it would be my duty to vote for the military training of those who wish to take it. …It is not possible to make a person or a society nonviolent by compulsion.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, September 13, 1928 There is a fascinating, subtle difference between Gandhi’s vision, or commitment,… read more
“The movement . . . has been conceived so as to minimize the evil wrought by the craze for amassing large fortunes through the use of dead tools in order to avoid having to deal with very sensitive human tools.” ~ Gandhi, Village Industries, p.6 Gandhi saw everything he touched on—in this case khadi and… read more
“Man is not omnipotent. He therefore serves the world best by first serving his neighbor.” ~ Gandhi, Ashram Observances in Action, p. 114 It has been said that when it comes to putting others first, most people ask, “Why should we,” while only a few get straight to the point: “How?” We can practice this… read more
“Means must determine ends and indeed it’s questionable in human affairs whether there is an end. The best we can do is to make sure of the method and examine our motive.” ~ Ronald Duncan, Selected Writings of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 14 No matter where you cut him, Gandhi is close to what he called… read more
“I wholeheartedly detest this mad desire to destroy distance and time.” ~ Gandhi, Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p. 233 In order to see life as it is, to see people as they are, not to mention ourselves, we have to slow down. Instead of long walks or journeys, we fly from one place to the… read more
Ellie Cross is interested in using art as a problem-solving tool to create a more just world. A native of Seattle, WA, Ellie has painted murals designed to raise environmental consciousness in Malaysia, Thailand, Guatemala and the U.S. Her research in art activism and education has taken her to Ghana and Tibetan exile communities in Nepal, India… read more
“Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh I’ve been practicing meditation for more than two years, and I come to this realization each and every time I sit: Meditation meets us where we’re at in life, opening and strengthening our hearts and minds where they most need… read more
In this blog-series accompanying our project of updating the Peace and Conflict Studies lectures (we call it PACS 164-c), Kimberlyn David reviews some of the key material of the course from a personal lens in an effort to generate personal reflection and the application of course content. Comment boxes are open below! * * *… read more
In this blog-series accompanying our project of updating the Peace and Conflict Studies lectures (we call it PACS 164-c), Kimberlyn David reviews some of the key material of the course from a personal lens in an effort to generate personal reflection and the application of course content. “We are only as brave as the stories… read more
