In honor of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, the Women’s March on Washington, and countless others who have taught and practiced non-violence.
Why non-violence? It’s a good question. At first glance, non-violence doesn’t seem to be the quickest practical route to a goal.
If someone has a candy bar that you desire, you can knock them down and take it. Goal achieved.
However you get more than just the candy bar in that imaginary exchange. You’ve also successfully achieved living in a fantasy world.
The benefit of non-violence is that you work within the way the world is actually constructed rather than your personal idea of goal fulfillment.
That may sound pretty grandiose. But here’s how it works:
The universe is a living interconnected entity. Life is alive. Science, at this point in time, tells us that we are energy beings in a vast sea of connected energy. Prior to this technological moment, one had to trust the words of the Buddha, Jesus Christ, and others who taught from personal experience that Life is One and Life is Love.
Now, this information can be found like reading the ingredient list on the back of your favorite food. It’s not a secret. The word is out.
“Concerning matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses. There is no matter.” – Einstein
At the store, when the label says ‘made completely of corn syrup,’ you might think twice before gobbling it down.
With the same mental finesse, you can evaluate a potential encounter with another person. That person’s label says ‘made of 100% energy and interconnected with the universe.’
Those ingredients are completely identical to yours. You are both comprised of the same energy. You both exist within this One sea of energy. And according to the highest sources, your base nature is Love.
So, why non-violence? Because when you hurt someone else, you hurt yourself. If you steal from someone else, you steal from yourself.
You also pretend. You pretend to be someone that you are not.
In his day, Gandhi promoted the spiritual principle of Ahimsa (non- violence and compassion).
Ahimsa (Sanskrit: अहिंसा; IAST: ahimsā, Pāli: avihiṃsā) means ‘not to injure’ and ‘compassion’ and refers to a key virtue in Indian religions. The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hiṃs – to strike; hiṃsā is injury or harm, a-hiṃsā is the opposite of this, i.e. cause no injury, do no harm. Ahimsa is also referred to as nonviolence, and it applies to all living beings—including all animals—in ancient Indian religions.
Ahimsa is one of the cardinal virtues and an important tenet of Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Ahimsa is a multidimensional concept, inspired by the premise that all living beings have the spark of the divine spiritual energy; therefore, to hurt another being is to hurt oneself. link
You are a spark of divine energy.
That’s why it makes sense to love your enemies. In every meaningful way, they are identical to you.
