09 March 2012

Season of Nonviolence - Day 39

Welcome to Day 39 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 39: DIALOGUE


Marianne Williamson describes a healthy society as one in which “those who disagree can do so with honor and respect for other people’s opinions, and an appreciation for our shared humanity.”  

We might not always agree with other people, but when we really listen to what they have to say we are having a dialogue.  We never argue in a dialogue.  We say what we think and then we listen to the other person so we can understand what they think and learn from them. 

When we engage in dialogue, we seek not to prove we are right, or that the other person is wrong, but to state clearly - from a place of ahimsa and truth force - what we believe to be true.  We listen deeply so as to be able to understand the perspectives of those who do not appear to share our understanding.  

Today:  I will speak my truth quietly and clearly, and not enter into the spirit of argument.  I will listen with an open heart, with compassion, to the truth as perceived by others.


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