11 March 2012

Season of Nonviolence - Day 41

Welcome to Day 41 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 41: OPENNESS


A Turkish proverb says, “he who builds himself a fence, fences out more than he fences in.”  If you don’t listen to someone because they look different or have different ideas than you, you’re building a fence around yourself and you’re missing out on having a new friend and learning something new.  When we refrain from acting on a negative emotion or selfish desire, we stop building the fence around our life - we can open our life up to others.  When we can be open to the opportunity for growth, we can use this as a way to find nonviolent ways to resolve differences. 

Today: I will be open to understanding ideas and people that I have previously opposed.  I will find somebody who I never wanted to talk to before and find a way to have a conversation with him or her.

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