Ending the year with hope and vision
Dear Friends,
Today we held our final session of our book study of Michael’s new edition of The Search for a Nonviolent Future. One friend, Kathryn, shared how she struggles with the idea of “loving” one’s opponents. What she practices instead is visualizing herself loving them. It’s a powerful insight. We can use our minds, our imaginations, to strengthen ourselves toward our highest ideals. The next time you are facing a difficult situation, try imagining yourself in it, practicing empathy, love, compassion, and nonviolence. When you encounter that situation in real life, you have already begun to build the muscle.
We also reflected on the idea of Active Hope, inspired by the late Joanna Macy and her work with Chris Johnstone on The Work That Reconnects. Active hope invites us to take a vision of the world we want to see and place ourselves squarely on the path toward it, not as passive observers, but as participants in an unfolding journey. Hope becomes something we practice. As our friend Nik beautifully named it, what we are doing together at Metta is itself an expression of active hope. We envision a nonviolent future, and together we are choosing to move toward it with our lives.
As we look ahead to 2026, we are excited to begin a new year-long Nonviolence Studies program this January. This month-to-month exploration of nonviolence and community-building is designed to help put these ideals into practice. Our friend Amery will serve as our Third Harmony liaison, guiding participants through the film, facilitating creative reading sessions, and hosting gameplay with our cooperative game, Cosmic Peaceforce. We will also continue producing Nonviolence Radio, across FM stations and podcasts, with new guests who help illuminate the monthly themes of the course. It is heartening to feel how these pieces are coming together.
We are deeply grateful to have you as part of this community. Thank you for your support and for helping make this work stronger. For those who wish to do so, year-end gifts are a meaningful way to sustain this work as we step into 2026 together. If you are considering a gift, December 31 marks the close of the 2025 giving year.
Thank you for all that you do in service of nonviolence and peace. We look forward to connecting even more in 2026. It feels like it will be a good year.
With hope because of you,
Stephanie
for the Metta Team