Evolving Nonviolence:

A Metta Center Blog Space

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In this blog, we share ideas and insights about what Gandhi called “the greatest power humanity has been endowed with”—nonviolence. Like him, we believe that mobilizing this force is essential for addressing the urgent challenges of our time and shaping a future rooted in justice and peace.

We approach nonviolence through three key lenses: theory, history, and application—all of which will be explored here. This is a critical moment to deepen our understanding and practice of nonviolence.

Theoretical developments across disciplines—from quantum physics to evolutionary biology to social sciences—affirm that every one of us has the capacity to discover, cultivate, and harness this profound force for transformation.

The history of nonviolence stretches across cultures and centuries. While deeply embedded in traditions such as Jainism, Buddhism, and Gandhian movements, nonviolence has also shaped modern struggles for justice across the world, from anti-colonial resistance in Africa and Asia to civil rights movements in the Americas and beyond. Today, it continues to evolve in powerful and unexpected ways.

The applications of nonviolence are being studied and put into practice across movements, institutions, and everyday life. Despite appearances, nonviolence may well be the defining force of human progress in our time.

This blog is one space where we will share this ‘good news’ with a wider audience. As time allows, we aim to publish new content weekly. We welcome your thoughts, reflections, and suggestions—feel free to reach out and join the conversation.

Michael Nagler Michael Nagler

Embracing the World

What can we do when our heart is flooded with compassion and service? A lot. We just finished this short documentary about Amma…have a watch!

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Stephanie Van Hook Stephanie Van Hook

The Twilight of Honor

“I have so far not said much here about Gaza, not because it doesn’t merit attention 𑁋 far from it 𑁋 but because what’s being done there to our fellow human beings stuns the imagination.  As my friend Sami Awad said to me about the latest Israeli atrocity, ‘My question now is how far will they go? And the answer scares me.’”

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The Metta Center Team The Metta Center Team

What Neurorehab Taught Me About Letting Go

“Our grievances are killing us—individually, through the disastrous effects of bitterness on our biology; interpersonally, in the strain it places on our relationships; and finally, collectively, in the cold-war-like political crossfires and international bloodbaths born from unhealed hearts and unmet needs.

What I’ve learned is this: we can’t get very far without forgiveness.”

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Stephanie Van Hook Stephanie Van Hook

Forgiveness: Our Superpower

Michael reflects on new research into forgiveness and how it applies to our understanding of nonviolence.

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Stephanie Van Hook Stephanie Van Hook

When Empires Fall: Finding a New Story in Nonviolence

Reflecting on the Bronze Age collapse, Michael explores how today’s global crises echo ancient endings — and how a new story rooted in nonviolence could guide us forward. As old paradigms crumble, the choice is ours: fear and violence, or courage and renewal.

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Michael Nagler Michael Nagler

Searching Out Silver Linings

Seeing so painfully the utter impotence of the “international community” to stop this horror, even with the offices of the UN and the ICC, perhaps some recognition will dawn that we are a human family and need to learn that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

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Stephanie Van Hook Stephanie Van Hook

How to go extinct

Michael reflects on our collective destiny and the human spirit.

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