In the first of the six basic philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. essay, “An Experiment in Love,” the six essential principles of his philosophy of nonviolence are examined, and one of the main ideas that challenges us is the statement that we tend to mistake nonviolence for passivity, pointing out that it is a form not of cowardice but of courage.
You have to be strong not to react with the same anger or violence that sometimes is thrown to you.
You have to be strong not to push away and fight,
but look straight at the problem in order to come with a solution.
"Nonviolent resistance [requires] a willingness to accept suffering without retaliation, to accept blows from the opponent without striking back…"
How does one keep Kindness and Love as the core of his/her choices?
We can think of the obvious: whatever feeling you choose to hold close to you will be the one that you'll carry with you and be intensified in the universe. Which one do you wish to hold on to?
If you feel upset, hurt by someone or community, instead of staying stuck on being right or wrong, worthy or unworthy, think of a greater good, to restore the community, to restore a sense of belonging and faith in the future. Tune into harmony, by inclining the mind in the direction of good will.
There is courage in the dailiness and nobility in the effort. There is strength in this process of trying and failing. Of beginning again.
"In every individual a spiritual element is manifested that gives life to all that exists, and that this spiritual element strives to unite with everything of a like nature to itself, and attains this aim through love…"
- Tosltoy's Letters to Gandhi published in the book "A Letter to a Hindu"
Cultivate Love, Wisdom and Beauty.
The change will be amazing.
As manifested by Mahatma Gandhi “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do."
