Tuesday 18 March 2008

Again from Gandhi on non-violence.



The power at the disposal of a non-violent person is always greater than he would have if he were violent.

There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence.



At first I wanted to dismiss this opening line. It was the use of the concept of power. I would have said that "the 'options' at the disposal of a non-violent person is always greater than he would have if he were violent." I say that because warfare (with its many faces) seems to enter onto the scene way before we exhaust the variety of ways there may be to resolve a problem. Then, I realized that for a person to have options is to be in a position of power. Rather than being stuck like a trapped animal in the corner - quite powerless except for a burst of violence - a non-violent person sees opportunities, nuances, ways to turn and bend and create a moment of transformation that may not be obvious at the outset of the situation. In this way, a person could argue that there is no such thing as defeat. We are defeated when our way is not the way. When victory is defined in limited terms that helps make for a scene that creates an "us" and "them," someone loses...someone must be defeated. But in the realm of non-violence, we are introduced to all the ground between here and there...us and them. On that ground and as we are open to the turns and discovery on this way, we are not defeated. We have rather, redefined the world view and are able to live with something other than what we had to have.



Connection: For many folks, defeat (on any level) is hard to take. When the day is shaped by winning and losing images, we paint ourselves into an unfortunate corner. Keep looking for new ways to paint the day with an eye toward openness and transformation.



Come, Liberating Lord, and begin to dismantle our fears and encourage us to leave our warring ways behind us. The expansiveness of your grace is the power to keep us open to new life. We need the power of your spirit of life to stay focused on your way and walk there. Amen.