This week’s quote from Bishop Oscar Romero provides a unique take on how to counter polarization with affirmation. He discusses that fine line between opposing someone and standing in integrity with one’s own conviction. Veronica highlights how this quote encourages us not to conform to things we don’t believe in, but to affirm ourselves while still making an effort to be a listener instead of an enemy. Then, when conflict arises, we can be poised to see past the confrontation to the common ground we share with people on the other side. Music: Moments by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansou ..read more

This week’s quote from Representative Jamila Jayapal helps us to undo common misperceptions of nonviolence and explore its true meaning. As is clear in the quote, it is a concept often not easily understood since it first requires a person to shed cultural conditioning that has us view violence as the default, allowing us to see the values underneath. Veronica explores some definitions of what nonviolence is and is not, quoting Michael Nagler from his book The Third Harmony, quoting Gandhi, and challenging our tendencies to define things by putting them in neat little boxes. She discusses how ..read more

This week, Veronica comes to us with a short and sweet reflection on a quote by Maya Angelou. Many of the quotes we consider from great artists, thinkers, and leaders of people-powered movements are aspirational, asking us to rise above our own expectations and strive for something exceptional. How to get there can be another matter altogether. This quote from Maya Angelou lays it out for us: courage is the key to unlocking all these virtues that help us to consistently be our best selves. Veronica highlights the matter of consistency, noting that we might get a fleeting grasp of kindness, mer ..read more

This week, Veronica remembers Thich Nhat Hanh and his incredible contributions to the world with one of his quotes. In his 95 years, Thich Nhat Hanh worked to share methods of mindfulness and speak out for peace around the world, encouraging others to join the path with him. In the podcast we explore how deep love for someone—friend, family, partner, pet, or anyone—expands to encompass everything. Extraordinarily, these moments of deep love not only affect us when we feel it, but also affect those who receive it. These moments of love become moments of unity, eliminating separation between us ..read more

Building on the themes of last week, today’s podcast features a quote from Carlos Castaneda that considers what it means to follow a path with heart. As Veronica explains it, a path with heart constantly invites us to grow and evolve. It leads us on the adventure of discovery, and brings us closer to who and what we really are. To follow this path requires vigor, strength, and courage to lean into the mystery and take on the unknown. Veronica discusses how these elements mark the difference between a warrior and an average person. One fights for and will take risks for the truth, while the oth ..read more

In this podcast, Veronica reflects on a quote from Chris Moore-Backman to help us consider the path towards authenticity. As it connects to the nonviolent journey, authenticity gives us a sense of peace and purpose, while encountering an authentic person gives us permission to be authentic too. In this way, nonviolence towards the self radiates out to become nonviolence towards others. Veronica describes the process of self-purification as helping us understand what we need to do for the world with our lives. Beyond the personal benefits, this helps us to fulfill the unique role we have to dir ..read more

This week, Veronica dives into a quote by Medea Benjamin to reframe this time of crisis as a collective opportunity. She discusses how in our current times of uncertainty about the climate, the economy, public health, and more, it is natural to want to go back to how things were. But these crises we face are a result of how things were. In order to create lasting change, Veronica discusses how we need to look forward to a new way of thinking, one that includes collaboration and dialogue. Including diverse opinions makes sure the new future we build will be inclusive, addressing issues from as ..read more

Start off the year by looking ahead to your nonviolent path with the latest Soul of Nonviolence Podcast. Using a quote from Pace e Bene, Veronica explores where we as a society typically start, and how we can get where we want to go. She encourages us to observe the way life moves and learn from it, with patience and presence instead of attempting to force things to be linear. Some highlights of this process include ways to grow past othering by practicing deep empathy, and creating space to include people with different ways of thinking. Veronica explains how seeing nuances, leaning into the ..read more

In this final podcast for 2021, Veronica explores a quote from Ursula K Le Guin about how all we have is what we are and what we give. This conclusion goes against the tendencies of consumerism that pressure us to own more in an attempt to add more value to our lives. Veronica discusses how the process finding who we really are frees us from this desire to possess more. We can experience the relief of overcoming that conditioning and the illusion of material importance and get down to what is essential—connecting with and giving to others. Music: Moments by Shane Ivers - https://www.silverman ..read more

As we move just past the darkest day of the year, Veronica uses a quote from Rainer Maria Rilke to discuss a productive way of turning our inner darkness into a place of strength. She suggests that in order to fully integrate and become whole, it is necessary to face the things that scare us. We can take steps to reframe the frightening into invitations to act bravely and with love. This quote also highlights the responsiveness of the obstacles we face, challenging us not to respond with fear even if that’s a natural impulse. If love is the essence of who we are, Veronica says, then digging de ..read more