Olivia Modarelli
Staff Writer
As part of the University of La Verne’s second annual Season for Nonviolence, students and faculty gathered to talk about different types of love, from self love to loving one’s enemies, at the session entitled “Nonviolence and Love” held Monday via Zoom.
It was a small and personalized gathering, consisting of 12 participants – most of whom were faculty members.
The Season for Nonviolence was established around 30 years ago by Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, Arun Gandhi.
“The idea is to commemorate the philosophies and practices of two people who brought non-violence to the world stage,” said Christian Bracho, associate professor and associate director of teacher education.
Those two people Bracho was talking about are Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
“Sometimes people think that non-violence is passive,” Bracho said. “Gandhi and King both very much wanted to be clear that they didn’t think it was a passive act at all.”
Many questions were raised throughout the event, such as what comes to mind when one first thinks about love and what it means. Participants were encouraged to engage not only in discussion but in activities as well. For example, everyone was encouraged to write a letter about someone they love – meditating on all of their favorite things about that person.
Falling on Valentine’s Day, the session encouraged participants to think about love from a more unconventional perspective than the one the holiday is usually thought to embrace.
“Today, I want us to think about love as being more expansive than just this idea of romantic love,” said Bracho. “Love in all its forms was celebrated.”
“I think so often the word love gets registered in this key of something sentimental,” said University Chaplain Zandra Wagoner.
While making it a point to not downplay this sentimental type of love’s validity, Wagoner also offered alternative words like strong and courageous to describe love.
Bracho agreed that love involves strength and resilience. The session placed particular emphasis on the importance of loving even when it is difficult. Self love and loving one’s enemies were hot topics.
“The challenge we are facing is that we are so disconnected from our inner being,” said Professor of Education Marga Madhuri. “If I don’t love and care about myself, then how do I care and love for other people, or animals or the planet?”
A clip from Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1957 sermon on loving one’s enemies was used to demonstrate the importance of striving to love everyone – even one’s enemies. Following King’s lead, participants were then asked to write a personal letter to someone they would like to forgive or ask forgiveness from – a more challenging activity than the first letter.
Throughout the presentation, Bracho touched on many points — all of which centered on love in all of its forms and the importance of feeling or expressing gratitude and appreciation for all who share the planet, no matter how difficult the task may be.
The next Season of Nonviolence event, called “Practicing Non Violence” will be held on March 9. To register visit Campus Labs.
Olivia Modarelli can be reached at olivia.modarelli@laverne.edu.
Olivia Modarelli, a senior journalism major with a concentration in print-online journalism, is a staff photographer for the Campus Times. She previously served as a staff writer and copy editor.
Jingyao Liang, a junior business administration major and photography minor, is a staff photographer for the Campus Times.
