November 24: “There come to us moments in life when about some things we need no proof from without.” –Gandhi (The Leader, December 25, 1916) Have you had a moment in your life where you knew you were heading in the right direction, even if around you there was chaos and confusion? My guess is… read more
Tag Archives: Nonviolence
“Talking to a dictator”–Daily Metta
November 23: “The fight of Satyagraha is for the strong in spirit, not the doubter or the timid.” –Gandhi (Harijan, April 7, 1946) It is one thing to protest outside of a palace, where you can say pretty much whatever you like, in whatever tone. It’s an entirely different thing when you speak directly to… read more
“A dash of humor”–Daily Metta
November 22: “If I had no sense of humour, I should long ago have committed suicide.” –Gandhi (Young India, August 18, 1921) When Gandhi arrived in Marseille on his way to the Second Roundtable Conference, he was wearing his traditional Indian clothing, a dhoti and shawl, which according to one biographer, “scandalized the French journalists.”… read more
“Taking children seriously”–Daily Metta
November 21: “From my experience of hundreds, I was going to say thousands, of children I know that they have perhaps a finer sense of honor than you and I have.” –Gandhi (Young India, November 19, 1931) How often does our media turn to hear the voices of children when violence occurs? We see their… read more
“Adel Termos’ Example”–Daily Metta
November 20: “Not to yield your soul to the conqueror means that you will refuse to do that which your conscience forbids you to do.” –Gandhi (Harijan, August 18, 1940) When Adel Termos went to the open-air market with his daughter in southern Beirut, he did not know that he would be called upon by… read more
“We are sick of blood-spilling”–Daily Metta
November 19: “I feel in the innermost recess of my heart…that the world is sick unto death of blood-spilling.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, vol. 3. p. 115) According to Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan in Why Civil Resistance Works, people avoid using violence if they do not have to, only resorting to it if they feel that… read more
“Holding up a mirror”–Daily Metta
November 18: “Sorrow and suffering make for character if they are voluntarily borne, not if they are imposed.” –Gandhi (Mahatma vol. 3, p. 122) During one of his stays in London, this time for the Second Roundtable Conference on the Freedom of India, someone asked Gandhi this question: “Mr. Gandhi, if sorrow makes for character… read more
“Help one person”–Daily Metta
November 17: “Only one who has exhausted all efforts may say that he can do nothing more.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, vol.4) When we feel a problem is too big to solve by ourselves, many of us tend to draw back into our shells and resign ourselves to doing nothing. Here’s what Gandhi offered to a friend… read more
“An indomitable will”–Daily Metta
November 16: “Strength does not come from a physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, vol. ii, p.5) While he weighed in at a little over a hundred pounds in his physical body, Gandhi’s spirit was immeasurable. He was living proof that strength was a quality that transcends the body. Muscle is… read more
“The Nonviolent Moment”–Daily Metta
November 15: “I have learnt through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my anger.” –Gandhi (Young India, September 15, 1920) One of the most pivotal moments of Gandhi’s life was when he was kicked off the train in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, for sitting in a First Class compartment because he was Indian, though… read more
