Thursday 13 March 2008

More from Gandhi.



Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our very being.



I was in a conversation just this week and as I read through this quote, the scene played back through my mind. It was painful. It is so important for me to follow this path of non-violence, but "wham"....just like that, I give it up and turn toward another way. Rather than listen and give myself over to questions that seek clarification without judgement, I'm ready to dismiss and prepare for some kind of verbal battle or at least a less-than-open exchange of ideas. From the heart...from the very center...from the core...from the foundation, comes the way of non-violence. Unfortunately, I am too willing to speak of that core without letting my life rest there. There can be any number of reasons for not sticking to that core....but none of them come from that core. Instead, so many other factors and powers and choices lead me away (in a moment's time) to fight and argue and attempt to make the world into a world I would make...not you! Again and again, if we are to follow this life of non-violence, we must review how we are about to enter the present and pray for the peace within our hearts that allows us to listen and share and, if need be, resist with a sense of peace and honor and worth.



Connection: Too quickly we are moved to act from a place within us that is not well...not healed...not at peace. In those moments, we then are so eager to defend our self and our ideas that we resort to a life of violence that comes in many forms. It is a good exercise to see how many forms this violence takes within one day's time.



Come, Creator of All That is New, come and heal our hearts with your presence that we may find ourselves available to new life and your grand domain of hopefulness. Amen.