Cross-posting this invitation from the Metta Center for Nonviolence to a discussion about generative nonviolent action (source):
Dear Community,
So, let’s pause for a moment to gawk at our gorgeous Mother Earth holding every single one of her children with fierce love, as seen from Artemis II.
Now, when you’re ready, continue reading. 🙂
At Metta, we’ve been hosting monthly online film screenings and discussions centered around The Third Harmony: Nonviolence and the New Story of Human Nature. We also work with communities, groups, and classrooms that invite us to present the film. These screenings have been a success in that people find the experience nurturing, supportive, and inspiring. For many, they offer an introduction to the reality that nonviolence is an immersive experience, not something limited to a remote history, if it is told at all.
As we continue this screening experiment into April, we are slightly adjusting the direction of our conversations. For this month, and for as long as it feels generative, we’d like to let the film bring us into a common space, and then use the post-film discussion to reflect on where we go from here in the movement for nonviolence, given the times we find ourselves in.
Large demonstrations, such as No Kings, can be empowering on many levels, and they can also have obstructive value when used strategically for that purpose. At the same time, when we think about de-escalating the violent trajectory of American and world politics, rehumanizing ourselves, and understanding the trauma we collectively experience while living under violent systems, we want to explore what we can say yes to—the systems and societies of peace we can build, grow, nurture, and protect together.
Please join us for an upcoming screening on April 9 or April 25 and be part of this conversation. Everyone is welcome.
Please register on our trainings page.
With care,
Stephanie for the Metta Team
Other Recent Experiments:
Afra Jalabi on Encountering the Shadow
John Lucky Blue on Daoist Cultivation and Nonviolent Activism
Ela Gandhi on Courage and Power
Valarie Kaur on Revolutionary Love
MORE ON NONVIOLENCE
Weekend Read: Strategic Signs for Protests
Picketing is a staple of nonviolent action in the United States. At intersections, along busy streets, on highway overpasses, small to midsized groups of people scrawl a message on cardboard in sharpie. Take time this weekend to consider a messaging strategy for such signs.
Peace through Weakness
Peace through strength is a foreign policy doctrine that calls for military superiority to deter aggression, which the Trump Administration now brazenly proclaims using hostile, threatening rhetoric by leaders loudly self-defining as Christian. Let us instead lift up Jesus and his words and actions in the face of threats of violence and acts of war.
Disagreement as Practice: Communication Across Divides
It’s difficult for most of us to talk with others about points of disagreement. Many of us argue, avoid, or go along with the majority instead. What if we could unlock the power of curiosity to facilitate communication through disagreement?
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Seeds Will Grow 
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