Wednesday 16 January 2008

In the consideration of non-violence, it is appropriate to have some notion of what makes up violence. Here Merton shares some good insights.



Violence is essentially wordless, and it can begin only where thought and rational communication have broken down. Any society which is geared for violent action is by that very fact systematically unreasonable and inarticulate. Thought is not encouraged, and the exchange of ideas is eschewed as filled with all manner of risk. Words are kept at a minimum, at least as far as their variety and content may be concerned...they are simply organized and inarticulate noise destined to arrest thought and release violence, inhibiting all desire to communicate with the enemy in any other way than by destructive impact.



Though he notes that violence is wordless, it sounds as though he is most concerned with the importance of words of communication...words of dialogue. If there is not communication and no attempt to listen and speak and exchange ideas, there may be many words...but the words bring nothing new. Wordless violence may contain many words...but they are thrown around without concern for an honest exchange of ideas and dreams. Rather, the words are thrown around in order to put an end to dialogue and communication. Wordless violence can be the rhetoric of a society or group that is used to put an end to the life of others or to project onto the "other" all that is wrong in the world. For example, scapegoating uses many words but it will not venture into the risk of a dialogue. In Dialogue, differing sides can learn to live together or at least side-by-side. The many words involved in the making of a scapegoat are used to destroy the "other." Until we bridge those gaps with words that stretch across our differences and prejudices, our words really do add to the violence of our society.



Connection: Treasure the people around you who are open to discussion and willing to take the risk to draw everything into question. They could be the greatest gift to us.



Come, O Word of Life, and bring us into the domain of your beloved community. In that place, your Word leads us and then we begin to use our words as tools for reconciliation and peace making. We give you thanks for calling out to us and inviting us into the creative dialogue of your Reign. Amen.