Thinking About Nonviolence

When I did the sound recording* with Arun Gandhi, he gave me a book** of stories his grandfather told him and suggested I think about how the memories and parables could be made into a movie. This seems like a wonderful opportunity, but what have I done about it?

It's a small book, but one of those thought-provoking ones. You read a little, then begin thinking about your own life and interactions.

One of my first reactions to it is that I don't really know much about the philosophy and practice of nonviolence. In order to proceed any further, I would need to educate myself -- and also get in touch with my "Gandhi-self."

I'm not a violent person, but neither do I practice non-violence. On the one hand, if someone does an injustice to me, I can "get over it" and move on. Living well is the best revenge, I like to say. On the other hand, I can forget, but I can't really forgive. And I'm certainly not about to hang around turning the other cheek.

Martin Luther King was greatly influenced by Gandhi. He said:

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also the internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.

Tall order.

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5.16.06

 

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*what I now know is referred to as a "tape sync"

**"Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence"

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