“No awakening is possible without the people at large realizing their power.” ~ Gandhi on June, 1917: Speeches and Writings of Mahatma Gandhi, Volume 4, p. 192 Until we become aware of our power, Gandhi tells us, we are not awake. We are moving about the world in an unconscious state, which creates the conditions… read more
Tag Archives: stephanie van hook
The Light of Nonviolence: Daily Metta
“This force is to violence and therefore to all tyranny, all injustice, what light is to darkness.” ~ Gandhi, Indian Opinion, 1914 While certainly inspirational at first glance, we shouldn’t miss the sobering reality behind Gandhi’s assessment of the force of nonviolence: it exposes violence. Nonviolence is not a promise of a world free of… read more
Laws of Nature: Daily Metta
“A thing acquired by violence can be retained by violence alone, while one acquired by truth can be retained only by truth.” Gandhi had a keen eye for what he called “laws of nature,” and the quote above was one of them. Any achievement attained through violence—power over others, money, possessions—can only be kept through… read more
Kids & Cooperation: Daily Metta
A Natural Capacity to Cooperate What happens when children experience frustration—and how do they treat others when they’re frustrated? Michael Nagler shares insightful research by Joel R. Davitz on school kids and cooperation. That research appears in “The Effects of Previous Training on Postfrustration Behavior,” Journal of Abnormal Social Psychology 47 (1952): 309–15. About Daily… read more
Delegitimizing Violence: Daily Metta
Working to End Violence Michael Nagler discusses picking up with the work that Martin Luther King, Jr. couldn’t get around to: delegitimizing violence. About Daily Metta Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way to share the Gandhi’s spiritual wisdom and experiments with nonviolence. This… read more
Dignity + Unity: Daily Metta
“Dignity is connected with unity.” In today’s Daily Metta, Michael Nagler looks at the key to tackling the rise of hatred, the very root of all violence. About Daily Metta Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way to share the Gandhi’s spiritual wisdom and experiments with… read more
Person Power Yoga Retreat: April 8–10, 2016
Our in-depth weekend retreat integrates yoga, meditation, and nonviolence to create a powerful approach to personal and social change. Where: Mount Madonna Center, Watsonville, CA Hosted by a team of peacebuilders from the Metta Center: Michael Nagler, Stephanie Van Hook, Stephanie Knox-Cubbon, Kimberlyn David This integrative, practical, and educational yoga retreat is open to everyone… read more
Project Censored: Terrorism & Nonviolence
Terrorism & Nonviolence: The Crisis of Our Time… And What We Can Do About It This local free event is part of the Fall 2015 Project Censored Lecture Series, which has been held on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at Aquas Café (189 H St. at 2nd in Petaluma, CA). Please… read more
Recap: Politics of Love & Justice
Toward the end of last month, Stephanie Van Hook and Michael Nagler participated in The Shift Network‘s Politics of Love & Justice Summit, which was a free online event integrating spirituality and activism. Over the course of a few days, 25 of the world’s most visionary spiritual leaders convened online and shared their wisdom, offering… read more
Occupy Radio: Constructive Program
Yesterday, Michael Nagler and Stephanie Van Hook joined Rivera Sun and David Geitgey Sierralupe on Occupy Radio for an exciting conversation about building alternatives and healthy communities. What if we recreate society from the bottom up, from within the culture we know? How can we loosen our dependencies on corporate structures and strive for self-sufficiency… read more
