DAY 50 Mar. 20: The practice for today is CHOICE.  Be aware of any jokes or remarks that show disrespect toward ethnic groups, women or men, classes of people, religious groups, gays or lesbians.  By being considerate of every person's dignity and by choosing not to participate in disrespectful communication, I am contributing to a nonviolent society. 

  "The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day.  The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become.  Your integrity is your destiny - it is the light that guides your way." -Heraclitus

  Do you think the statement "We always have a choice" is true?  Do you ever think that you don't have a choice?  Do you ever think you must be violent?  Can you always choose nonviolence?

Today:  I will write about the choices I face throughout the day and on how they translate my commitment to nonviolence into my thoughts, words and actions.

DAY 51 Mar. 21: The practice for today is ADVOCACY.  "When someone stands up to violence" says Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, "a force for change is released.  Every action for peace requires someone to exhibit the courage to challenge violence and inspire love."  Thich Nhat Hanh's life is about nonviolence, and ours can be too. 

When we choose to be an advocate for nonviolence and decide right now that we will be the one to stop the violence, we release peace into the world.     
  Today:  I will be an ally. Without blaming or judging others, I will listen from my heart, and speak out with love for those who are disrespected, abused or not listened to.   I will find out how I can be an advocate in current conflicts, such as in The Sudan or Tibet.

DAY 52 Mar. 22: The practice for today is EQUALITY.  Have you ever noticed the groups of people who are under-represented in your activities and lifestyle?  The Constitution of the United States says that all people are equal, and all people have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Do you think everyone in our community is treated equally?  If not, what can you do to change this?

  "Unless man is committed to the belief that all mankind are his brothers, then he labors in vain and hypocritically in the vineyards of equality." -Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

When you recognize as your equals those with whom you disagree, true opportunities for dialogue emerge - opportunities that are denied when you think of yourself as better than, or less than, others.   Martin Buber wrote about the "I-Thou" connection, the ultimate equality, and the intention from which nonviolence originates.

  Today:  I will be mindful of ways that I see myself as better than others.  When I listen to people today, I will listen to them as equals; when I speak, I will speak to others as equals.  I will enrich my life by considering how I can invite different people and unusual experiences into my life today.

DAY 53 Mar. 23: The practice for today is ACTION.  "Each of us can work to change a small portion of events and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation" said Robert Kennedy.   Imagine what actions Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy would be taking if they were among us today.

  Truly nonviolent action is centered in love and compassion.  Actions speak louder than words, it is said, yet it is not so much loudness as clarity and truth that matters; a gentle action can be far more powerful than a forceful one.  So, too, the smallest actions - those closest to home - can be more meaningful than those expressed from a distance.

  Today:  I will explore actions from the heart I can take today to express my commitment to peace and nonviolence - in both my personal life and in the public domain.  I will find a way to make one small change that will contribute to the well being of my home, school, workplace or community. 

DAY 54 Mar. 24: The practice for today is GIVING.  Practice generously giving by sharing time, talent, energy and material resources with others.  Whatever you give, do it without thinking of getting anything in return. Do it as a service, not reluctantly, but with joy.  That is a real gift.  If you expect something in return, it is not a gift, but a contract.

  Whatever you give, be sure it is from the heart:  

"Not in what we give, but what we share,

For the gift without the giver is bare."

  Gifts are not just material things.  Consider any harmful behavior you might have.  Changing the behavior, or giving it up, could be a gift to those who love and care about you.

  Today:  I will clean out my closet, bureau drawers, or garage and give away things I'm not using.  I will give my time to a volunteer organization and my financial resources to a cause that supports and practices nonviolence.  I will consider giving up some harmful or negative behavior I may have. 

DAY 55 Mar. 25: The practice for today is RESPONSIBILITY.  The quality of my community starts with me.  I take responsibility wherever I am.   Whatever we are today is the result of what we have thought, spoken, and done in all the previous moments before now.  The responsibility for both present and future is in our own hands. By living right today, tomorrow will be right.  This applies to our physical, emotional and spiritual life; we each have the ultimate responsibility for our choices.

  Today:  I will pick up trash that is not my own, whether at home, at the office or on the street.   If there is a conflict present in my life, I will take responsibility for my part in the conflict and work toward a nonviolent resolution.

DAY 56 Mar. 26: The practice for today is SELF-SUFFICIENCY.  People need the dignity of work and the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families.  Economic self-sufficiency is a requirement for a nonviolent world.   

"Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency."  -Gandhi

  For Gandhi, economic self-sufficiency - symbolized by the spinning wheel - was a vital element of independence from colonial rule and from oppressive economic conditions.

  Today:  I will discover the satisfaction of making something for myself instead of buying something - and from spending time in self-sufficient quiet reflection or meditation.   If I know someone who is looking for employment, I will offer to assist them with a resume, an application, making phone calls, or practice interviewing.