64 Days of Nonviolence

At snichols’ church (the Center for Spiritual Awareness in West Sacramento, since you ask) we’re engaging in 64 days of nonviolence a period that starts with MLK, Jr.’s birthday and ends with something to do with Ghandi (his death maybe?). Each day we’re supposed to do another peaceful or nonviolent conscious act.

snichols is trying to do this with her children, who currently mock her spiritual tradition so it’s not going well. Yesterday’s exercise was to “smile at 3 people who look different from you.”

So snichols pitches this to her kids. And here’s what 10 year old snicholson has to say: “that’ll be easy, Mom,” (rolling his eyes) ” everyone looks different from me” (the duh is silent).

It took snichols a minute, but then she realized how absolutely wonderful a statement that was. It didn’t even occur to him that some people look more like him than others. Everyone looks different. He’s the only one who looks like him–marvelous.

It puts snichols to mind that when this same snicholson was in kindergarten or first grade he chose his very darkest-skinned friend (by snichols’ generation’s standards, the kid who looked least like him in his class) to be his “twin” for twins day.

Yup. Things have changed a bit since snichols was young….for the better.