Gandhi, Prophet of Nonviolence
"The central problem of our time -- as I view it -- is how to employ human intelligence for the salvation of mankind. For we have defiled our intellect by the creation of such scientific instruments of destruction that we are now in desperate danger of destroying ourselves. Our plight is critical and with each effort we have made to relieve our position by further scientific advance, we have succeeded only in aggravating our peril... Time is running out..."
This is something Mahatma Gandhi said, right? Certainly he did say many similar things during the course of his active life, but this was actually from a speech by General Omar N. Bradley on November 8, 1957. General Bradley was formerly U.S. Chief of Staff. You will note that that which General Bradley considered true in 1957 is even more so now: for the informed person, we are aware that there are wars and conflicts all around this precious blue Planet: as terrorists plot their destructive plans, nation-states arm themselves to the teeth, and a few select nations make billions of dollars selling weapons of mass destruction and oppression all around the globe. I suppose the "icing on the cake" are the some 400, 000, 000 guns in the United States. Greed and violence go hand-in-hand and one could very well say that together they are "the devil's wet dream"... We are, everywhere, a people @risk.
And yet... and yet... we are also a people who hunger for peace, for safety, for caring homes and hope for our children, for the promise of justice, and a little bit of land to raise some of our own food: This essential human hunger doesn't add up to all that very much, indeed, if all the money spent on guns and weapon systems were instead diverted to cultivating our truly human hopes and dreams we could build a genuine Paradise upon this Planet: that we instead choose to follow the path of unlimited profit and violence, our lives become -- way too often -- a living curse. The many justifications for this path of unlimited terror must each, finally, be confronted with a firm and resounding "NO!" And the "no" must come from women first, from and for the children: the men of our species are in desperate need of a radical change of heart, a complete transformation, lessons in reconciliation, and finally, forgiveness for the many, many, centuries of destruction we have wrought. Are we worthy of this: perhaps not, but this Planet needs us too!
In the wild, is there a vegetarian tiger? That quick shift of gear, with a seemingly goofy question, has a purpose: in this time of extraordinary risk, can anyone justify living as a spectator, in some sort of cocoon of safety or unconcern? In this day and age, everyone is either an activist for transformation or living in the delusion of the "vegetarian tiger" in silent acceptance of victim and victim-"izer". If there is a meaning and purpose to human consciousness, we must individually and collectively decide and commit to transformation: more of the same: the same economics of greed, exploitation, and oppression... the politics of power, propaganda, and deception... and the religions of domination, manipulation, and control... will only further us on the path of social and Planetary destruction. Into this dilemma of opportunity there comes to us the lessons of Gandhi and applied nonviolence... -
The very important first step in applied nonviolence is selfless service: volunteering. Especially young people should be volunteering -- or creating volunteer projects themselves -- at least from the age of four or five and on up: and then for their entire lives. Everyone can and should be doing something. With faith and passion, volunteering opens both hands and hearts, and creates the spiritual foundation for honest self-analysis and the possibility of intentional transformation. Instead of living the "mindless life" of a "big-picture" predatory capitalist society with the "little-picture" of conspicuous consumption as a valid purpose, we must cultivate the alternative reality of caring and sharing. The key question (quest) of "What do you stand for?" should become integral to our homes, schools, work places, and gathering points. To both ask and answer this question is to build character, empathy, and an ethic of activated compassion: it is also to build the foundation necessary for civic regeneration and the liberal / radical vision of mutual aid and solidarity in every relationship and facet of life: in point of fact, this firm stance in favor of civic regeneration is the most assuredly conservative political position one could have: is there a more conservative idea than the conservation of human life and this Planet?
Briefly contrast this perspective with the obvious current social reality: desperation is the spirit of the times. Desperation engenders a reactionary fear: reactionary fear fosters reactionary fundamentalism: fundamentalism provokes a religious "literalism" that judges and condemns every "other" and is the justification for racism, sexism, militarism, "gangster-ism", and "hooligan-ism". In this reality, no one is anywhere safe: no one is any longer revered as sacred: nothing is above destroying. In a culture in which money and power are seen as the primary "absolutes", value is determined by both production and consumption: consider the neo-conservative (not true conservatives) efforts to crush unions and the social networks that promote social well-being through integrated caring and compassion. In this "brave new world of endless fear", courage is replaced by demonization, and harmony is now a luxury only available to the super-wealthy. And, finally, the Planet itself is relegated to the role of production-machine, devoid of an eternal spiritual foundation and beauty: a thing to be used, abused, and thrown away (do the abusers and exploiters have a secret escape-to-another-planet plan?)... Our current social reality is the obvious perfection of violence.
Mahatma Gandhi wrote the story of his life and called it "The Story of My Experiments With Truth". It is a story of a pilgrimage to nonviolence: a politics of creative confrontation with injustice, an economics of personal responsibility and communal sharing, and a religion of active compassion and universal love. Nonviolence was the summit to which Gandhi climbed -- as fearlessly as any climber of the highest mountains of Earth. For Gandhi, every act was an act of worship: no action could somehow be separated from practical worship: his was a radicalization of religion: a removal of religion from the confines of temple, church, or mosque and placing it squarely in the marketplace, on the streets, and in the home: not as an intellectual commitment to "right belief" but a heart commitment to become a "mirror of God" and to only reflect Love. Gandhi took the sacred words of Yeshua, "Love your enemies" as an empowering political strategy: and in doing so, liberated his country from a foreign occupying power... and just as importantly, he didn't sacrifice his sacred humanity in the process...
Applied nonviolence is the fruit of a vital participatory democracy or at least of pure democratic intentions. "People" are, first and foremost, persons: as persons we hunger for our natural respect and dignity, which is only found in the freedom to be mutually responsible: equal in opportunity: equal in solidarity: equal in the social agreement of absolute value. Only applied nonviolence respects, nurtures, and develops the well-being of persons as the absolute social value. A key philosophical position of nonviolence is this teaching of Gandhi: the ends never justify the means. Instead, as Gandhi said, "As the means, so the end." This critique lays bare the criminal nature of predatory capitalism, power politics, and religious literalism: each the "henchmen" of the dominator paradigm. The solidarity paradigm proposed by applied nonviolence is the answer to the aggression and violence plaguing humanity: the only escape is into empathy, mutuality, and compassion translated into policies and practices that foster justice, equality, reverence for the Earth, service, and peace.
The next key step in applied nonviolence is that of a constructive program of life and action. As one with focused intention cultivates a holistic personal transformation through service, meditation, mindfulness, mutual aid, and a spirit of blessing and adoration, so too one is obligated to move into action and begin -- today -- to build a society where it "will be easier for people to be good" (Peter Maurin). A vital constructive program means to first narrow the gap between ideals and lifestyle, between thoughts and actions, between faith and life. A deep exploration of the world's mystic literature will both encourage and enlighten, and is essential for understanding our human unity in spirit. Integrating the mystic with the "mundane" opens the door of perception to a way of life that is full of meaning, purpose, and is also vivifying: so that change and transformation is sustainable for an entire life-time.
With a narrowing gap between ideals and actions, one is then positioned to genuinely serve others: the solidarity paradigm is manifested in intentional communities developing a wide range of alternatives to the dominator paradigm: service projects, strikes-in-reverse, free art, literacy projects, local currencies and bartering, farmer's markets, community gardens, credit unions, soup kitchens, advocacy, work co-ops, and local politics are some examples of possibilities. If the aim is civic regeneration and the development of a sustainable "green" economics -- for everyone -- then constructive actions become the social means of personal transformation. Applied nonviolence is about the nitty-gritty work of constructing the new reality which will make the old one obsolete. The power of nonviolence lies in its ability to create and reconstruct the social order: by living and working in neighborhoods, the applied nonviolence activist builds trust, friendship, mutual-aid, and begins to manifest the change needed in the world.
Our most genuine desire is for the fulfillment of "welcome home": to live in such a way as to unleash our creative potential. Violence is, in its essence, the destruction of "welcome home" through force, domination, or manipulation. Violence invades the sanctuary of the person's home, body, and soul and makes of them objects for disposal. A responsive increase of defensive / offensive capabilities is never a permanent solution to violence: it may remove a present danger, but violence always finds a way to reproduce, and revenge is a terrible spirit to unleash. The spirit of revenge and punishment -- the desire to inflict double the original harm in return -- catapults individuals, communities, and nations into an endless war mind-set: economics, politics, culture, and religion all become the tools of the perpetual-war-machine. Weaving justifications with propaganda, the experts in social manipulation keep feeding the machine. Into this reality, comes the applied nonviolence activist. Proposing a re-focus on primary social values (protection of the commons, mutual-aid, and a personalism that strives for the full development and liberation of every person), the activist knows that only a change of heart will lead to a change of thoughts and actions which will in turn create the foundation for a world of peace.
This social awakening is possible -- this change from predatory capitalism to solidarity -- will arise from each and every action that is taken to help one another: to profit from someone's pain is contrary to our better human nature, just as to exploit, oppress, or kill another person is contrary to the good of the human spirit. A new culture is the goal of applied nonviolence, while every word or example of Gandhi may not be applicable to a given situation or to our time, his spirit of honest inquiry, rugged integrity, pursuit of truth, willingness to accept suffering as vibrant tool, and enthusiasm for service are powerful guides in our own development and struggles. A new set of relationships, built upon the foundation of "Love your neighbor as your self", will steadily come into being as new intentional communities are formed from the gatherings of applied nonviolence activists. Peace is always the result of thousands of small, hidden, secret acts of kindness that occur everyday "without a second thought".
How much is enough? It is only by asking this question -- and seeking an honest answer -- that applied nonviolence will be able to move us forward. Tolstoy wrote a story in which a man has the opportunity to acquire a significant amount of land. As the story goes, he can have all the land that he can walk around in one day, so as the sun rose, he took off in one direction and walked as far as he dared before turning in another direction. Again he pushed himself to his limit, keeping in mind the place of the sun in the sky... finally he turned again, and pushed on and on, until he knew he had gone as far as he possibly could before turning one last time and heading back to his starting point. As the sun speedily descended in the sky, the man could not stop or even slow down to catch his breath... Finally, he crosses the finish line at the exact moment the sun set: hurray! And he promptly collapses dead on the spot. Tolstoy concludes that the man's grave was "all the land he needed"... Since we can take nothing with us when we die, is there ever a point in which we have enough?
Modern global, "predatory", capitalism is the clear ruler of the day. Based upon the concept of legitimizing greed, the intention and goal of unlimited profits, is now the driving force of economics and international politics. Neo-conservatives (neo-liberals) have sworn allegiance to this bold "free market economy": endless, steady, growth is the primary determining factor in economic policies. International economic "rules" require submission to the institutions that dominate and control the literal fate of nations and peoples. There is little room for disagreement and even less for dissension: if you are not part of the game, there is no need for you! The dismantling of social commitments and safety nets worldwide as the price for playing puts the great portion of humanity at risk: unemployment is at levels that can be justly called an epidemic across huge swaths of the world; under-employment, stagnant wages, and the rapid disappearance of opportunities for a living-wage are all signs of worsening life-conditions for many, many, millions of people. The concentration of wealth into fewer and fewer hands is steadily crushing the world's middle-class onto the edges of poverty. For the nearly two billion persons who live lives of complete abandonment in the grip of poverty, with more people joining their numbers everyday, where lies hope?
Applied nonviolence proposes an alternative view of the human person: which can be called personalism. Personalism asserts that every social institution (economics, political, cultural, and religious) exists to serve the full development and liberation of every person -- leaving no one out or behind. For example, money is now clearly and simply, a means for facilitating exchange: equality, compassion, justice, and kindness have real value in the "spirit market" of mutual-aid and solidarity. The amount of money needed at any given time is relative to a universally regarded quality of life available to everyone: merit is conceived of as birth: "enough" is justice for all. The dynamics of personalism is the recreation of economics to service instead of power and domination. Applied nonviolence is the essential status of lives in service to the common good and no longer in pursuit of maximum profit and wealth. Action example: there is enough food on Planet Earth to eliminate starvation and malnutrition. An action plan to justly distribute resources and food to feed everyone is a goal that could be accomplished: from the "intent" date to accomplishment within a matter of a few years. This world-wide success would open the door of sacred imagination everywhere: what else might we be able to do? Heal climate change? Negotiate peace in the Middle East? Bridge the divides in Asia, in Europe, in Africa, in the Americas? Invest in universal health care? Scale down at the top of the economic ladder -- to allow everyone a truly human life? Eliminate every weapon of mass destruction? Create a truly international movement for full employment, education, and development? When our view is about solidarity in our mutual development and liberation, we will effectively remove the limitations imposed upon us all by greed, privilege, and power...
To be continued... (by you!)
This is something Mahatma Gandhi said, right? Certainly he did say many similar things during the course of his active life, but this was actually from a speech by General Omar N. Bradley on November 8, 1957. General Bradley was formerly U.S. Chief of Staff. You will note that that which General Bradley considered true in 1957 is even more so now: for the informed person, we are aware that there are wars and conflicts all around this precious blue Planet: as terrorists plot their destructive plans, nation-states arm themselves to the teeth, and a few select nations make billions of dollars selling weapons of mass destruction and oppression all around the globe. I suppose the "icing on the cake" are the some 400, 000, 000 guns in the United States. Greed and violence go hand-in-hand and one could very well say that together they are "the devil's wet dream"... We are, everywhere, a people @risk.
And yet... and yet... we are also a people who hunger for peace, for safety, for caring homes and hope for our children, for the promise of justice, and a little bit of land to raise some of our own food: This essential human hunger doesn't add up to all that very much, indeed, if all the money spent on guns and weapon systems were instead diverted to cultivating our truly human hopes and dreams we could build a genuine Paradise upon this Planet: that we instead choose to follow the path of unlimited profit and violence, our lives become -- way too often -- a living curse. The many justifications for this path of unlimited terror must each, finally, be confronted with a firm and resounding "NO!" And the "no" must come from women first, from and for the children: the men of our species are in desperate need of a radical change of heart, a complete transformation, lessons in reconciliation, and finally, forgiveness for the many, many, centuries of destruction we have wrought. Are we worthy of this: perhaps not, but this Planet needs us too!
In the wild, is there a vegetarian tiger? That quick shift of gear, with a seemingly goofy question, has a purpose: in this time of extraordinary risk, can anyone justify living as a spectator, in some sort of cocoon of safety or unconcern? In this day and age, everyone is either an activist for transformation or living in the delusion of the "vegetarian tiger" in silent acceptance of victim and victim-"izer". If there is a meaning and purpose to human consciousness, we must individually and collectively decide and commit to transformation: more of the same: the same economics of greed, exploitation, and oppression... the politics of power, propaganda, and deception... and the religions of domination, manipulation, and control... will only further us on the path of social and Planetary destruction. Into this dilemma of opportunity there comes to us the lessons of Gandhi and applied nonviolence... -
The very important first step in applied nonviolence is selfless service: volunteering. Especially young people should be volunteering -- or creating volunteer projects themselves -- at least from the age of four or five and on up: and then for their entire lives. Everyone can and should be doing something. With faith and passion, volunteering opens both hands and hearts, and creates the spiritual foundation for honest self-analysis and the possibility of intentional transformation. Instead of living the "mindless life" of a "big-picture" predatory capitalist society with the "little-picture" of conspicuous consumption as a valid purpose, we must cultivate the alternative reality of caring and sharing. The key question (quest) of "What do you stand for?" should become integral to our homes, schools, work places, and gathering points. To both ask and answer this question is to build character, empathy, and an ethic of activated compassion: it is also to build the foundation necessary for civic regeneration and the liberal / radical vision of mutual aid and solidarity in every relationship and facet of life: in point of fact, this firm stance in favor of civic regeneration is the most assuredly conservative political position one could have: is there a more conservative idea than the conservation of human life and this Planet?
Briefly contrast this perspective with the obvious current social reality: desperation is the spirit of the times. Desperation engenders a reactionary fear: reactionary fear fosters reactionary fundamentalism: fundamentalism provokes a religious "literalism" that judges and condemns every "other" and is the justification for racism, sexism, militarism, "gangster-ism", and "hooligan-ism". In this reality, no one is anywhere safe: no one is any longer revered as sacred: nothing is above destroying. In a culture in which money and power are seen as the primary "absolutes", value is determined by both production and consumption: consider the neo-conservative (not true conservatives) efforts to crush unions and the social networks that promote social well-being through integrated caring and compassion. In this "brave new world of endless fear", courage is replaced by demonization, and harmony is now a luxury only available to the super-wealthy. And, finally, the Planet itself is relegated to the role of production-machine, devoid of an eternal spiritual foundation and beauty: a thing to be used, abused, and thrown away (do the abusers and exploiters have a secret escape-to-another-planet plan?)... Our current social reality is the obvious perfection of violence.
Mahatma Gandhi wrote the story of his life and called it "The Story of My Experiments With Truth". It is a story of a pilgrimage to nonviolence: a politics of creative confrontation with injustice, an economics of personal responsibility and communal sharing, and a religion of active compassion and universal love. Nonviolence was the summit to which Gandhi climbed -- as fearlessly as any climber of the highest mountains of Earth. For Gandhi, every act was an act of worship: no action could somehow be separated from practical worship: his was a radicalization of religion: a removal of religion from the confines of temple, church, or mosque and placing it squarely in the marketplace, on the streets, and in the home: not as an intellectual commitment to "right belief" but a heart commitment to become a "mirror of God" and to only reflect Love. Gandhi took the sacred words of Yeshua, "Love your enemies" as an empowering political strategy: and in doing so, liberated his country from a foreign occupying power... and just as importantly, he didn't sacrifice his sacred humanity in the process...
Applied nonviolence is the fruit of a vital participatory democracy or at least of pure democratic intentions. "People" are, first and foremost, persons: as persons we hunger for our natural respect and dignity, which is only found in the freedom to be mutually responsible: equal in opportunity: equal in solidarity: equal in the social agreement of absolute value. Only applied nonviolence respects, nurtures, and develops the well-being of persons as the absolute social value. A key philosophical position of nonviolence is this teaching of Gandhi: the ends never justify the means. Instead, as Gandhi said, "As the means, so the end." This critique lays bare the criminal nature of predatory capitalism, power politics, and religious literalism: each the "henchmen" of the dominator paradigm. The solidarity paradigm proposed by applied nonviolence is the answer to the aggression and violence plaguing humanity: the only escape is into empathy, mutuality, and compassion translated into policies and practices that foster justice, equality, reverence for the Earth, service, and peace.
The next key step in applied nonviolence is that of a constructive program of life and action. As one with focused intention cultivates a holistic personal transformation through service, meditation, mindfulness, mutual aid, and a spirit of blessing and adoration, so too one is obligated to move into action and begin -- today -- to build a society where it "will be easier for people to be good" (Peter Maurin). A vital constructive program means to first narrow the gap between ideals and lifestyle, between thoughts and actions, between faith and life. A deep exploration of the world's mystic literature will both encourage and enlighten, and is essential for understanding our human unity in spirit. Integrating the mystic with the "mundane" opens the door of perception to a way of life that is full of meaning, purpose, and is also vivifying: so that change and transformation is sustainable for an entire life-time.
With a narrowing gap between ideals and actions, one is then positioned to genuinely serve others: the solidarity paradigm is manifested in intentional communities developing a wide range of alternatives to the dominator paradigm: service projects, strikes-in-reverse, free art, literacy projects, local currencies and bartering, farmer's markets, community gardens, credit unions, soup kitchens, advocacy, work co-ops, and local politics are some examples of possibilities. If the aim is civic regeneration and the development of a sustainable "green" economics -- for everyone -- then constructive actions become the social means of personal transformation. Applied nonviolence is about the nitty-gritty work of constructing the new reality which will make the old one obsolete. The power of nonviolence lies in its ability to create and reconstruct the social order: by living and working in neighborhoods, the applied nonviolence activist builds trust, friendship, mutual-aid, and begins to manifest the change needed in the world.
Our most genuine desire is for the fulfillment of "welcome home": to live in such a way as to unleash our creative potential. Violence is, in its essence, the destruction of "welcome home" through force, domination, or manipulation. Violence invades the sanctuary of the person's home, body, and soul and makes of them objects for disposal. A responsive increase of defensive / offensive capabilities is never a permanent solution to violence: it may remove a present danger, but violence always finds a way to reproduce, and revenge is a terrible spirit to unleash. The spirit of revenge and punishment -- the desire to inflict double the original harm in return -- catapults individuals, communities, and nations into an endless war mind-set: economics, politics, culture, and religion all become the tools of the perpetual-war-machine. Weaving justifications with propaganda, the experts in social manipulation keep feeding the machine. Into this reality, comes the applied nonviolence activist. Proposing a re-focus on primary social values (protection of the commons, mutual-aid, and a personalism that strives for the full development and liberation of every person), the activist knows that only a change of heart will lead to a change of thoughts and actions which will in turn create the foundation for a world of peace.
This social awakening is possible -- this change from predatory capitalism to solidarity -- will arise from each and every action that is taken to help one another: to profit from someone's pain is contrary to our better human nature, just as to exploit, oppress, or kill another person is contrary to the good of the human spirit. A new culture is the goal of applied nonviolence, while every word or example of Gandhi may not be applicable to a given situation or to our time, his spirit of honest inquiry, rugged integrity, pursuit of truth, willingness to accept suffering as vibrant tool, and enthusiasm for service are powerful guides in our own development and struggles. A new set of relationships, built upon the foundation of "Love your neighbor as your self", will steadily come into being as new intentional communities are formed from the gatherings of applied nonviolence activists. Peace is always the result of thousands of small, hidden, secret acts of kindness that occur everyday "without a second thought".
How much is enough? It is only by asking this question -- and seeking an honest answer -- that applied nonviolence will be able to move us forward. Tolstoy wrote a story in which a man has the opportunity to acquire a significant amount of land. As the story goes, he can have all the land that he can walk around in one day, so as the sun rose, he took off in one direction and walked as far as he dared before turning in another direction. Again he pushed himself to his limit, keeping in mind the place of the sun in the sky... finally he turned again, and pushed on and on, until he knew he had gone as far as he possibly could before turning one last time and heading back to his starting point. As the sun speedily descended in the sky, the man could not stop or even slow down to catch his breath... Finally, he crosses the finish line at the exact moment the sun set: hurray! And he promptly collapses dead on the spot. Tolstoy concludes that the man's grave was "all the land he needed"... Since we can take nothing with us when we die, is there ever a point in which we have enough?
Modern global, "predatory", capitalism is the clear ruler of the day. Based upon the concept of legitimizing greed, the intention and goal of unlimited profits, is now the driving force of economics and international politics. Neo-conservatives (neo-liberals) have sworn allegiance to this bold "free market economy": endless, steady, growth is the primary determining factor in economic policies. International economic "rules" require submission to the institutions that dominate and control the literal fate of nations and peoples. There is little room for disagreement and even less for dissension: if you are not part of the game, there is no need for you! The dismantling of social commitments and safety nets worldwide as the price for playing puts the great portion of humanity at risk: unemployment is at levels that can be justly called an epidemic across huge swaths of the world; under-employment, stagnant wages, and the rapid disappearance of opportunities for a living-wage are all signs of worsening life-conditions for many, many, millions of people. The concentration of wealth into fewer and fewer hands is steadily crushing the world's middle-class onto the edges of poverty. For the nearly two billion persons who live lives of complete abandonment in the grip of poverty, with more people joining their numbers everyday, where lies hope?
Applied nonviolence proposes an alternative view of the human person: which can be called personalism. Personalism asserts that every social institution (economics, political, cultural, and religious) exists to serve the full development and liberation of every person -- leaving no one out or behind. For example, money is now clearly and simply, a means for facilitating exchange: equality, compassion, justice, and kindness have real value in the "spirit market" of mutual-aid and solidarity. The amount of money needed at any given time is relative to a universally regarded quality of life available to everyone: merit is conceived of as birth: "enough" is justice for all. The dynamics of personalism is the recreation of economics to service instead of power and domination. Applied nonviolence is the essential status of lives in service to the common good and no longer in pursuit of maximum profit and wealth. Action example: there is enough food on Planet Earth to eliminate starvation and malnutrition. An action plan to justly distribute resources and food to feed everyone is a goal that could be accomplished: from the "intent" date to accomplishment within a matter of a few years. This world-wide success would open the door of sacred imagination everywhere: what else might we be able to do? Heal climate change? Negotiate peace in the Middle East? Bridge the divides in Asia, in Europe, in Africa, in the Americas? Invest in universal health care? Scale down at the top of the economic ladder -- to allow everyone a truly human life? Eliminate every weapon of mass destruction? Create a truly international movement for full employment, education, and development? When our view is about solidarity in our mutual development and liberation, we will effectively remove the limitations imposed upon us all by greed, privilege, and power...
To be continued... (by you!)
The love religion is all that is written here. -- Rumi