August 8: “Military service is only a symptom of the disease which is deeper.” –Gandhi (December 31, 1931) Gandhi did not blame those who served in the military for causing war; or not only them. In fact, he said that if someone was eating wheat that came from some kind of military domination, they were… read more
Tag Archives: Nonviolence
“Voluntary Service or Resist”–Daily Metta
August 7: “Voluntary service of others demands the best of which one is capable.” ––Gandhi (From Yeravda Mandir) When it comes to formulating a principle around voluntary service, we could do much worse than turning to the Mahatma for some guidance. From the moment he “hit his stride” in South Africa he gave himself in… read more
“Gandhi and the Atom Bomb”–Daily Metta
August 6: “Has not the atom bomb proved the futility of all violence?” —Gandhi (Harijan, March 10, 1946) It’s an amazing contrast that the 20th century witnessed moments where nonviolence soared to giddying heights and violence brought us down to unfathomed lows. When Gandhi heard the news that the United States had used the atomic… read more
“Was Gandhi political or spiritual?”–Daily Metta
August 5: A [person] who aspires after [Truth] cannot keep out of any field of life.” -Gandhi (Autobiography) Gandhi had a little “anarchist” tendency in him, in spite of his deep commitment to democratic governance and the rule of law: he did not like being labeled. Any label, however convenient for some purposes, would be… read more
“The POWER of Knowledge”–Daily Metta
August 3: “[In the Ashram] Everyone is encouraged to acquire full knowledge of his own subject.” –Gandhi (Ashram Observances in Action) While imprisoned in the Aga Khan Palace with Gandhi and Kasturba (Gandhi’s wife) Sushila Nayar remembers a conversation that revealed to her an insight about the mind of the Mahatma. She and her… read more
“Gandhi and the Guru”–Daily Metta
August 2: “I shall deem it ample honor if those who believe in me will be good enough to promote the activities I stand for.” –Gandhi (Harijan, February 11, 1939) In the 1960s in the United States in particular, “gurus” were the hottest thing on the scene, but since we had not grown up in… read more
“No easy task”–Daily Metta
August 1: “It is no easy task to restrain the fury of a people incensed by a deep sense of wrong.” –Gandhi (Young India, May 5, 1920) At the beginning of the Indian Freedom Struggle, when people wrote and spoke against participating in non-cooperation, Gandhi told them to “get out of their chairs” and actually… read more
“Friendship and Resistance”–Daily Metta
July 31 “We must combat the wrong by ceasing to assist the wrong-doer directly or indirectly.” –Gandhi (Young India, June 16, 1920) It’s interesting the way that Gandhi learned the strategies of non-cooperation only after having lived the consequences of not doing so. In this instance when he used the above language, for example, he… read more
“Cecil the Lion and Us”–Daily Metta
July 30: “Not to hurt any living thing is no doubt a part of ahimsa. But it is its least expression.” –Gandhi (From Yeravda Mandir) The killing of a beloved 13-year-old, protected African lion, known as Cecil, has prompted an outpouring of grief from around the world for this noble creature. His death speaks to… read more
“Expect Repression and Go Beyond It”–Daily Metta
July 29: “It must be taken for granted, that when civil disobedience is started, my arrest is a certainty. It is, therefore, necessary to consider what should be done when the event takes place.” –Gandhi (Young India, February 27, 1930) While preparing months in advance for the great Salt March, Gandhi asked those in the… read more
