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A Season for NonviolenceEach year between January 30 - April 4, there is a national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. Inspired by the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this international event honors their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world. Voices for Peace:
You are invited to carry the vision for this season of nonviolence by adopting these contemplations and observances for 64 days and taking the pledge of nonviolence. Week One - AcceptanceAcceptance of others, their looks, their behaviors, their beliefs, brings you an inner peace and tranquility instead of anger and resentment. - Source Unknown January 30Today, even though it is different, I honor the road that others travel. January 31Today, I know that nothing is impossible to a willing heart. February 1Today, I whine less and hope more. February 2Today, I realize I spend so much time with myself I might as well learn to like myself and what I do. February 3Today, I accept the differences in others. Together, we can become greater than the sum of both of us. February 4Today, I will spend some time releasing judgments. February 5Today, I see the best in others. Week Two - Kindness We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can
do. February 6Today, I am a little kinder than is necessary. February 7Today, I do small, unseen acts of kindness. February 8Today, I repay a kindness done to me in the past by paying "in kind" somewhere else. February 9Today, I speak only kind words. February 10Today, I will send a kind, anonymous message to someone.February 11Today, I speak with kindness, respect, and patience to everyone I talk with on the telephone. February 12Today, I begin a ripple effect of good by an act of kindness toward another. Week Three - Humanity As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness
of others. February 13Today, I see the potential for peace in others around me. February 14Today, I respect the uniqueness of another culture. February 15Today, I give of my true gift. One that only I can give to the world. February 16Today, I listen with an open heart to at least one person I normally wouldn't. February 17Today, I find the heroes around me. February 18Today, I identify something special in everyone I meet. February 19Today, I practice praise rather than criticism. Week Four - ForgivenessForgive, forget. Bear with the faults of others as you would
have them bear with yours. Be patient and understanding. Life
is too short to be vengeful or malicious. February 20Today, I let go of one feeling of anger or resentment. February 21Today, I let go of the past by forgiving. February 22Today, I forgive myself for the wrongs I've done. February 23Today, I know the ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands. I reach out to hold hands. February 24Today, I deal with the faults of others as gently as with my own. February 25Today, I forgive someone who has hurt or harmed me. February 26 Today, I turn an enemy into a friend. Week Five - PatienceAll things pass. Patience attains all it strives for. February 27Today, I treat everyone as if this would be the last time I would ever see them. February 28Today, when I could be otherwise, I am patient and kind with my co-workers. March 1Today, I live in the quiet joy of patience with my loved ones. March 2Today, I drive with tolerance and patience. March 3Today, I love myself, even with all my foibles and limitations. March 4Today, I am patient and understanding of the faults of others. March 5Today, I choose one area in my life to exercise a patient attitude. Week Six - RespectWhen people honor each other, there is a trust established
to synergy, interdependence, and deep respect. March 6Today, I will learn something great about another culture. March 7Today, I befriend someone who I don't know. March 8Today, I choose to be aware of what I talk about and speak only good of others. March 9Today, I say, "Thank you," to someone who would not expect it. March 10Today, even when I disagree with others, I treat them with respect. March 11Today, I respect other's difference of opinion. March 12Today, I greet all with a smile and a thoughtful word. Week Seven - JoyLaughter can be more satisfying than honor, more precious
than money, more heart-cleansing than prayer. March 13Today, I will do one thing that will put more joy and laughter in my life. March 14Today, I don't wait for people to be friendly, I show them how. March 15Today, I laugh often. March 16Today, I will meditate for at least five minutes on how I can share happiness. March 17Today, I watch as impossible situations turn into miracles. March 18Today, I laugh at those things I've called troubles. March 19Today, I choose to be happy during an activity I don't usually enjoy. Week Eight - CompassionCompassion and love are not mere luxuries. They constitute
non-violence in action. March 20Today, I recognize my actions directly affect others. March 21Today, I will spend today, "listening without defending." March 22Today, I make a conscious choice to see from another's perspective. March 23Today, I will listen. March 24Today, I know forgiveness is the "giving, and so receiving, of life." (G. Macdonald.) March 25Today, I will allow myself to observe my violent feelings but will not act on them. March 26Today, I take five to ten minutes to appreciate people who offer challenges in my life, especially those who I find frustrating. Week Nine - ServiceTwo kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what
we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give. March 27Today, I perform an act of kindness to the planet, like picking up trash or recycling paper. March 28Today, I find happiness through giving loving and expecting nothing in return. March 29Today, I realize the impossible is often the untried. March 30Today, I choose to use my talents and skills to serve others by volunteering a portion of my time. March 31Today, I speak the universal language to all I meet today by smiling. April 1Today, I serve others without their knowing. April 2Today, I acknowledge another for their service. Week Ten - Peace If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like
a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will
benefit from our peace. April 3Today, I express peace in my thoughts, deeds, and words. I model peace by the way I live my life. These principles of nonviolence
were adapted by the Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak Area Task Force
for: Inspired by the memorial anniversaries
of Mahatma Gandhi |
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