A culture of gentleness is very much an integral part of who we are. It is often learned through a person’s faith beliefs; it is also learned through the general belief systems in those who surround us. Our cultures oral tradition or written stories reflect our duty to love our neighbor, our forgiveness to those who wrong us, our helping strangers and those in need. These types of values are woven in a culture’s literature as well as faith beliefs.

Faith systems do not have meaning to everyone, but most of us have an innate sense of “doing good” based on the natural law. The world often reflects the same approach and duty to reach out to those who suffer and even help strangers and enemies. Shakespeare begged us to have mercy for those who do wrong and shower others with mercy. He asked us “to render the deeds of mercy.”

If we do not shower mercy and opt to achieve justice through violence, Martin Luther King’s conclusion was this would lead to “a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. He went on to consul us that any non-violent approach need to seek a transformation in the “other” though our potent example and vibrant words. In either way we are reminded to be merciful, forgiving, tolerant, and hopeful.

Gentle Teaching seeks to follow these words by being tolerant and forgiving, seeing the individual as our brother-sister, being tenderly in the moment with the violent person, and focused on sharing the gifts of feeling safe with us and loved by us.