November Focus Week 1: Ahimsa
Yes, there is also darkness inside us. Even from the moment we are born, we struggle to survive, not always competing in peace. Avoiding physical violence may be a relatively easy achievement, but the notion of a-himsa reaches even further – from the way we speak and express ourselves, even to the way we think.
Ahimsa translates into non-violence. In a world where the feeling of hatred towards all things dominates, the responsibility for peaceful coexistence with all living creatures grows bigger. And it takes great courage and it is a daily struggle to live in this world while choosing peace instead of war, compassion instead of apathy. Manos Hatzidakis once said that “If someone is not scared of the face of the beast, then it means they look like it. A possible extension of this principle is to get used to horror, to be scared by beauty.”
So, let’s begin this conscious effort by first treating our own self with love, and carry on with the intention of not harming whatever and whoever surrounds us.
Mahatma Gandhi (My socialism): “Strictly speaking, no activity and no industry is possible without a certain amount of violence, no matter how little. Even the very process of living is impossible without a certain amount of violence. What we have to do is to minimize it to the greatest extent possible.”
By Panagiota Kostami,
οf the Neda Yoga Shala Team
