Season of Nonviolence - Day 34

Welcome to Day 34 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 34: LOVE

Gandhi wrote, “Nonviolence is based on the assumption that human nature ... unfailingly responds to the advances of love.”  

 All the great texts encourage us to "love your enemy."  The ancients understood that this is where the creative energy comes from.  An enemy does not have to be life-threatening or violent; an enemy can just be a thought that gets us to look at something in a different way.   Consider the power of befriending someone you previously thought was an "enemy".  In a conflict, rather than putting your energy toward winning, see what channeling that energy toward a loving, nonviolent solution can accomplish.

Today:  I will focus on what I can find to love in the person I like the least. As I meet people during the day, I will reflect on how love can enhance the relationship.