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Satyagraha

Laura Brown on ‘the way of peace’

Jesus was a strong advocate of non-violence. Blessed are the peacemakers, turn the other cheek, love your enemies. These are probably the three most well-known references Jesus made to non-violence and there are many, many more. But what about “I have not come to bring peace but a sword”? (Matthew 10:34) Is Jesus advocating violence? It is here that translation may have obscured things. Let us substitute the word ‘conflict’ for ‘sword’ and ‘complacency’ instead of ‘peace’. Conflict is not inherently violent. Conflict is an inevitable result of freedom, of individual choice. Yes, it can be resolved violently, but it can also be resolved non-violently. Non-violence does not mean complacency. The word peacemaker gives another hint of this. Maker is an active word. Non-violence is an active force. Gandhi also talked about this. He called it Satyagraha — truth force. Truth force means actively challenging violence. I think this truth force is Jesus’s sword. For me it helps to think of non-violent acts as those which empower both parties and violent acts as those in which one or more parties emerge feeling disempowered.

We’ve already said that non-violence is a positive and an active force. It is also a way of life. This is something both Gandhi and Jesus make very clear: “Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our very being.” What does this way involve? It involves opening yourself up, making yourself vulnerable. When we put up barriers to another person we are closing off communication, we are also disempowering them. This may involve opening yourself up to persecution as Jesus often said — no-one pretends it’s an easy way. Ultimately, as both Jesus and Gandhi showed, it involves making yourself vulnerable enough to be killed. On another level it means opening yourself up to emotional pain, being hurt without resorting to manipulation or put-downs.

Non-violence is also about challenging external violence. Non-violence involves actively challenging violent structures; ranging from racism to pollution, dictatorships to animal cruelty. A daunting path, but one everyone can and does take small steps down.

For me the way of non-violence is the central message I find in the life of Jesus. Personally, I don’t hold a great belief in the virgin birth or physical resurrection, they don’t have a particular relevance for me. This is not to belittle those for whom they have a strong relevance. I respect that, but I hope readers will also respect my beliefs. Some might say that I’m not a Christian, but then I have never claimed to be. What I am is someone who believes very strongly in the way of non-violence. It’s a way inspired by Jesus, by Gandhi, by Buddha, by countless others. It’s a way supported by a faith that God will give me the strength to follow it, however much I stumble at the start.

Laura Brown

Last modified: 25th November 2005