Opening Breath and Affirmation:
Take a few deep breaths to clear your mind and center your thoughts. Say: I will be Nonviolent by giving someone a compliment about their character.
Quote of the Day:
"Communication is the most important element of family life because it is basic to loving relationships. It is the energy that fuels the caring, giving, sharing, and affirming. Without genuine sharing of ourselves, we cannot know one another’s needs and fears. Good communication is what makes all the rest of it work." –Dolores Curran
Today in Social Movement History:
On January 21, 1525, Swiss Anabaptist Movement is born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz's mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union. These radical reformers Christians to refuse military service and reject all forms of violence, even in self defense. Their movement gave rise to the Mennonite, Amish, and Brethren pacifist Christian traditions that exist today.
Activity of the Day:
Think about your name, where you come from, and the web of relationships that makes you who you are: your familiy, your ancestors, your culture, and the society you are in. For nonviolent living and building the Beloved Community, it is important that we consider the relationships and social forces that are at play all around us. We are connected to one another.
Respond:
Reflect on this statement in written or drawn form: Relationship and connectedness to one another and the earth are at the heart of active nonviolence. What does this mean to you?
Activity and Respond adapted from Engage: Exploring Nonviolent Living (Session 1: The First Step, page 7) Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service.