“True ahimsa should mean a complete freedom from ill-will and anger and hate and an overflowing love for all.” ~ Gandhi, D.G. Tendulkar, Mahatma, vol. 2, p. 420 What Gandhi called “the nonviolence of the strong” (or brave) and today we call principled nonviolence does mean the attempt (he would say, “prayerful attempt”) to eliminate… read more
Tag Archives: principled nonviolence
Long Term: Daily Metta
“A truthful man (or woman) cannot long remain violent. He will perceive in the course of his search that he has no need to be violent…” ~ Gandhi, Young India, May 20, 1925 One of Gandhi’s startling—and when you think about it, inspiring—characteristics was his ability to accept, even insist upon, others finding their own… read more
Heart-prayer: Daily Metta
“Worship or prayer is not to be performed with the lips but with the heart.” ~ Gandhi, Mind, p. 78 The hallmark of mysticism wherever it arises is its recognition of inner realities, the priority of states of mind over outward acts (though no one disputes their importance). What we call principled nonviolence actually springs… read more
Principled Nonviolence and its Power: Daily Metta Weekend Videos
In this first video, Michael Nagler continues onward in The Search for a Nonviolent Future with insights into the paradox of nonviolence: rising above oneself and becoming more of oneself, truer to oneself. He then shares the origin of the term “person power,” coined by the Metta Center. In this next video, he describes the… read more
Humiliation Tactics and Shaming: Daily Metta
“Nonviolence is who we are.” In today’s Daily Metta video, Michael reviews the deeper dynamics of nonviolence and touches on ideas such as humiliation tactics and shaming as well as “work” vs. work while analyzing a long quote from Marshall Frady on Martin Luther King, Jr. Please add your comments below. About Daily Metta Stephanie… read more
“Looking beyond our successes”–Daily Metta
July 27 “There is a law of nature that a thing can be retained by the same means by which it has been acquired.” –Gandhi (Satyagraha in South Africa) Some have the impression that once nonviolence has done what they consider to be its work, they can return to using violence to uphold their victory.… read more
Syria on the Brink: Can Nonviolence Bring Her Back?
Petaluma, California – When the Arab Spring was initiated by Mohammed Bouazizi’s self-immolation last year in Tunisia, it ignited longings for freedom throughout the region; more than that, it took hold of the creative imaginations of non-violent activists and millions of dissatisfied individuals around the world. Has this hope ground to a halt with the… read more
How to sustain a revolution
By Stephanie Van Hook (distributed by Peace Voice 1.1.12) Starting a revolution is like lighting a match; it risks becoming extinguished as quickly as it was lit. Sustaining a revolution, however, is like starting a fire, and ensuring that it has the fuel to burn as long as necessary. As an agent of change,… read more
Restorative Justice
Restorative justice is an approach to criminal justice (or disciplinary issues, in schools) that aims to rehabilitate offenders through having them take responsibility, reconciling with victims, and repairing the harm experienced by people, relationships, and the community. It’s often contrasted with a retributive justice, which emphasizes punishment over rehabilitation. Retributive justice is based on a behavior… read more
Principled Nonviolence
Principled nonviolence is not merely a strategy nor the recourse of the weak, it is a positive force that does not manifest its full potential until it is adopted on principle. Often its practitioners feel that it expresses something fundamental about human nature, and who they wish to become as individuals. (See strategic nonviolence.) To adopt… read more
