Non-Violence: No Higher Calling At a time when violence in the United States is at its highest level in nearly two decades, international spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of the leading lights in the quest for non-violence, is taking a stand. His Holiness is launching an unprecedented national movement to counteract violence with one billion acts of non-violence. The initiative , “Non-Violence: No Higher Calling,” challenges individuals to commit to an act of non-violence through a social and digital campaign, culminating with the Guru’s five-city U.S. tour at the end of this month. Supporters of this groundbreaking initiative, powered by Mr. Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation, are encouraged to share their commitments on the “Non-Violence: No Higher Calling” website in an effort to make non-violence go viral. With thousands of pledges recorded and partnerships with schools and advocacy groups underway, the peaceful crusade has already begun to change the world with actions ranging from playing only life-affirming video games to speaking out against bullying to practicing daily meditation, yoga or prayer. The goal is to accumulate 100 acts of non-violence for every act of violence and eventually reach one billion acts. Engaged citizens in five major U.S. cities will witness the power of this movement first-hand when Mr. Shankar, joined by various celebrities and activists, leads a massive guided meditation with thousands of participants to help create a stress-free mindset. Each event will also feature its own unique style, including live music performances, participation from various elected officials and inspirational speeches from students on what non-violence means to them. “The Wright brothers appeared crazy before they flew, and I have this crazy idea–a world without violence,” says Mr. Shankar, whose life mission to unite the world by instilling human values has inspired people throughout the world to connect and inspire change.. “With all the violence in the world, this idea may appear to be hoping for utopia, but we need to dream and we will get there. If we instill pride in being non-violent, compassionate and helpful to others, our lives will take a new direction. And that should be our unwavering commitment!” The tour comes to New York on March 30th at 2 pm at the Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza. And it ends with an award ceremony at the alma mater of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Morehouse College in Atlanta, where Mr. Shankar will be honored with the Gandhi-MLK-Ikeda Award for Non-Violence.   For more information on the “Non-Violence: No Higher Calling” campaign and upcoming events, visit www.nonvio.org.  


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