31 March 2012

Season of Nonviolence - Day 61

Welcome to Day 61 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 61: PEACE

Practice watering seeds of joy and peace and not just seeds of anger and violence, and the elements of war in all of us will be transformed,” says Thich Nhat Hanh.   You water seeds of anger and violence by deciding to stay angry and act violently.  You water seeds of joy and peace by deciding to be peaceful, no matter what is happening to you.  Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart, and then respond in a nonviolent way.  

"Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other." ~ Elie Wiesel

Today:  I choose to meet each experience with an intention for peace.  I will be aware of any feelings of anger or irritation and replace the feeling with calm.  I envision any areas of unrest transformed into safe havens for all people.  I see beyond conflict and discord to the truth: peace is everywhere present and active.

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