By the Lane Interfaith Alliance
Appeared in print January 28, 2012
For the past five years, the Lane Interfaith Alliance has helped to promote the Season for Nonviolence, which is a worldwide celebration of alternatives to confrontation and conflict. Beginning January 30 and lasting through April 4, the Season is bracketed by the anniversaries of the assassinations of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
We believe that the principles of nonviolence express values shared by all faiths; namely, the intrinsic value of every human life, and the ultimate interconnectedness of all life. We see in the practice of nonviolence a means by which different spiritual traditions can find common ground on which to stand in communion with each other.
Nonviolence is often defined more in terms of what’s missing than of what’s happening. Some see nonviolence as only a lack of conflict or a temporary suspension of hostility. Peace from this perspective may be an exception to the rule of violence, but violence still defines the parameters of peace.
Other languages than English suggest a more comprehensive understanding of peace. Both the Arabic salaam and the Hebrew shalom and derive from root words meaning wholeness, completeness, a harmony of opposites. Peace so defined means not the mere absence of violence, but the presence of a sense of connection even with those with whom we disagree. It suggests that no one of us can be truly whole unless we recognize the wholeness, and holiness, of each other.
Non-violence is also rooted in the recognition that those who seek to hurt us are themselves often hurting. It’s easy to project our pain onto those who oppose us; what non-violence can teach us is that which we truly fear often lies not outside the barred window but inside the mirror. Nonviolent behavior begins with the recognition that we can control not what happens to us but only how we choose to respond to what happens.
A fundamental principle of nonviolence states that all parties to a conflict possess a share of the truth, and that the goal is not to have one truth triumph over another, but rather that each truth help illuminate another. Non-violence looks for safe ways to express anger and other emotions, and works at solving problems peacefully by encouraging communication and cooperation in all endeavors.
Nonviolent living begins at home and is best expressed where and with whom we live. For this reason, the Season hopes to highlight those activities and events that focus on personal compassion and social responsibility toward one another. The programs espoused this Season seek to create an awareness of nonviolent principles and practice as a powerful way to heal, transform and empower people’s lives and communities.
The opening event for this year’s season takes place this Monday, January 30, 7 PM at Temple Beth Israel, 29th & University in Eugene. Rev. Dan Bryant will speak, and Dr. Veena Howard will discuss the principles of nonviolence as practiced by Mahatma Gandhi. Small group discussions will help us learn how to translate these principles into guidelines for our daily lives.
This column is coordinated by the Lane InterfaithAlliance to offer inspiration, share personal spiritual experiences and bring a deeper understanding of individual faith perspectives. For information about submitting an article, visit www.laneinterfaithalliance.org or call 541-747-3887.