I regard myself as a soldier, though as a soldier of peace. ~M.K. Gandhi~ We bow our heads in reverence to all those who have given their lives in witness to the truth, or had it taken from them in that effort; who upheld peace and justice in the face of persecution and oppression, often… read more
December 7: “Human nature will only find itself when it fully realizes that to be human it has to cease to be brutal.” –Gandhi (Harijan, October 8, 1938) Almost everywhere we go, masculinity and violence tend to be conflated. This violence is toward oneself, in so far as “manly” often means shutting oneself off from… read more
November 6: “I do not believe in short-violent-cuts to success.” –Gandhi (Harijan, December 11, 1924) The Global War on Terror tries to sell us the false idea that we can effectively fight terrorism by killing “terrorists,” instead of addressing the conditions that led to terrorism in the first place. A “short-violent-cut to success,” instead of… read more
September 29: “If India can discover a way of sublimating the force of violence…and turning it into constructive, peaceful ways whereby differences of interests can be liquidated, it will be a great day indeed.” –Gandhi (Harijan, August 31, 1947) Gandhi never maintained, even once, that violence was something other than a force that had to… read more
(orig. posted in Tikkun online) by: Michael N. Nagler on August 21st, 2014 Some time back in the early fifties the U.S. Navy conducted an “exercise” to test bacterial warfare…in San Francisco! They sprayed bacterial agents into the fog over the Bay to “see what would happen.” Sure enough, some people got sick, and one elderly gentleman died. … read more
Originally posted at Tikkun Magazine: http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2012/12/15/grief-is-not-enough-reflections-on-the-connecticut-shooting/ “We are heartbroken, yes. But saying that will fix nothing. It won’t bring anyone back, and it won’t keep this from happening again.” This lament by Lisa Belkin in yesterday’s Huffington Post is self-evidently true. Our hearts have been broken over and over – at Columbine, in… read more
Here’s what we mean: The practice of integrating nonviolence into the quotidien is centered in the vision of the unity of life. When we engage with the vision of a unity between ourselves and others we see our well-being in theirs and we see their well-being as we work for our own. This is what… read more
In this short piece, Utah Phillips makes the case for the need of accountability in war, and the need to connect across the lines that keep the ‘peace movement’ and the ‘war support movement’ separated. … read more
The Metta Center is not an organization that teaches Nonviolent Communication in workshops, but we work from the same worldview. Here is founder of Nonviolent Communication, Marshall Rosenberg, describing, in his words, this worldview. … read more
By Michael Nagler I want to make an offer to my fellow Americans who are, like myself, reeling from the worst “random” shooting the country has ever seen. My question: Have you had enough? Because if you have, I can tell you how to stop this kind of madness. I know that’s a bold claim,… read more
