Self Improvement – Out Of Season Means Out Of Date, Right?

"Gordon Bryan"April 4th sees the last day of the Season For Non Violence, an annual campaign with constructive values. So, why am I writing about it on April 5th..?

To take the question even further about the date, is there any point in you even reading further, if the date doesn’t fall within the 64 days of this Season For Non Violence? What’s it all about anyway?

Well, long time readers will know that’s exactly what I’m going to get to , so let’s jump right in…

I had never heard of the SNV before I read about it on someone’s blog, talking about simplicity. I was curious about it and, following advice I have given over many years, I went off and did some further research on my own.

The SNV happens between January 30th and April 4th. Those dates mark the shootings of 2 men who made an impact during their lives which became their legacies after their deaths.

Mahatma Gandhi was shot on January 30th, and Martin Luther King was shot on April 4th. Gandhi campaigned against the subjugation of Indians under the British Empire, and King campaigned against the subjugation of black people in the supposedly free and equal America.

Here are the 5 main tenets of the SNV, which you could argue both men held to:

– Honour dignity of human beings
– Understand words and action have impact
– Practice compassion
– Use our talents to empower rather than exert power
– Constructive dialogue to solve conflict

I like these! If we make an effort to follow them we can make the world around us a better place. That may sound airy fairy, but I believe it happens to be true. Both in how you act towards others *and* yourself.

That’s important.

If you act in this way towards others, you’ll be more inclined to act like this towards yourself. You’ll feel more contented about your surroundings, you’ll feel more energised towards your goals.

Then, if you act towards those goals, treating yourself with compassion and using your talents, how do you reckon you’ll act towards others? Yep, with more understanding, with a more empowering view, taking more personal responsibility.

Looks good on paper, doesn’t it? It feels a whole lot better when you take action and bring it into the real world, I can tell you!

Back to that blog post that first brought the SNV to my attention. Here’s a link to the post on the blog called Upbeat Living

It talks about simplicity. Simplicity is something I have written about many times, including in my book, when it comes to self improvement and goal achievement. By following a set of steps, you can move forward in ways you might not have thought possible previously.

There is no magic wand, the obstacles and difficulties will still be there, but by keeping things simple you can equip yourself to handle them in a totally new way.

Tying this together with the ideas of the Season for Non Violence seems a great fit to me – that’s why I prefer to write about it *after* the dates mentioned, because the principles apply whatever date I write about them, and they apply whatever date you are reading this too!

So, does out of season mean out of date? No, it doesn’t, and I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

‘Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
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Leave a Reply to Amy X

12 Comments

    • Thanks,
      When I first read about it this year, it sat so well with my main writing topics, I had to pass the knowledge forward!
      Cheers,
      Gordon

  • Every time I hear of this sort of event, an image pops into my head. It’s like the cease fires of old.
    Everything stops for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 64 days. But, once it’s over- whoa, Nelly- the …. hits the fan…
    Either we do it one day at a time until it sticks- or it won’t make a difference – ever!

    • Nail on head Roy, nail on head!
      “I’ll be nice to myself and others for a set period, and then back to the ‘old’ me”
      There is still worth in these set events – message spreading for one, as I hadn’t heard about it, and will hopefully get the ideas out to more people who hadn’t.
      I’d go further than to say one day at a time until it sticks, and just go with one day at a time…permanently.

      Thanks as ever for the comment,
      Gordon

  • Never heard of SNV but love the 5 keys and how the season is designated. Non-violence may not be in the seasonal dates but it never goes out of style! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

    • Yes MelAnn,
      It’s a nice way to remind us of some ways to live which will always make things better not worse!
      Thanks for stopping by yourself!
      Cheers,
      Gordon

  • I’ve never heard of SNV, either, GG, but I like the 5 tenets. I’m with Roy though–it almost seems a little silly . . . as if, yeah, sure, we’ll put down our violent thoughts and ways until April 5th and then–bam!! back to business. (I would suppose that’s not the idea.) Perhaps a more thoughtful purpose would be just to shine the light of recognition on the problem of violence, thus quenching it . . . a bit? Or is the holiday just set up to sell more greeting cards? (“Happy Season of Non Violence!”) In any case, GG, very interesting post!!

    • Hi Amy,
      I think the idea of the SNV is not one of campaigning against violence, it’s more promoting the idea of changing things *without* violence. Those were the driving principles behind Gandhi and King, and using the gap between the dates of their deaths seems a good way to increase the power of celebrating them seperately?
      Cheers,
      Gordon

  • Hey there, really interesting post. I learnt some history. I love that you are a fan of simplicity, I am too and believe that there is great elegance in simplicity and why complicate things for yourself or others if you can keep it simple. In fact I talked about it in one of my earlier blogs in this challenge – http://waringwell.com/keep-it-simple-it-frees-you/ Finally also with you on the whole issue of treating yourself and how that effects others and vice versa.

    • Thanks Heather,
      Although it’s surprisingly easy to over complicate pretty much anything, it’s also surprisingly easy to simplify things!
      That can normally open happen after you’ve made an active decision to simplify things.

      Thanks for stopping by!
      Cheers,
      Gordon

  • Hi Gord,

    I enjoyed reading your posts and the comments other people left here. I also never heard of SNV and its tenets. The 5 tenets you mentioned to me represent the common tenets of human decency. If more people adhered to them our world would be much more peaceful.

    I never understood the belief of some that not all people are equal. I can understand it somewhat in some, less civilized countries but in the US, it always astounded me and still does.

    Thanks for sharing,

    Dita

    • Thanks Dita,
      I was pleased to discover the SNV myself, so it’s nice to see I can do the same for others.
      Inequality is all about power.
      Power has been the undercurrent behind the worst of humanity through the ages, and that could still be said today.

      The tenets of the SNV are indeed superb, and we’d all be better off if more people used them. That takes education though, which we are all doing in our own little ways!
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Cheers,
      Gordon