The Way of Non-Violence

Love this picture that was on an article on the internet. The article was about the precariousness of life for some animals around the world because of climate change. I kind of feel like the elephant these days with balancing between prayer and meditation for peace, and trying to understand the intricacies of diplomacy.

These past few days and weeks have been fraught with international tension. Behind the scenes, I am sure that many late-night meetings took place in the United Nations, in the halls of justice of different countries throughout Europe and here in Washington, DC. Syria, a country that has been at the center of tensions for millennia, once again has taken center stage. The proverbial sabers have been rattling, Russian and China, old allies of Syria, have lined up behind the country they consider a buffer between the US and the Middle East.

In the midst of all the turmoil, Pope Francis prayed for peace to prevail in Syria and asked all Christians around the world to do the same. Now as we awake this morning, there is news that Syria has promised to hand over to international authorities, all of its chemical weapons. What happened overnight that Syria has considered drawing down the stand-off? Did the prayers of faithful Christians prevail?  The bigger question for me: From where does conflict come and why do we, humans, feed it so freely?

For some years, I have read about human conflict and studied it from the French author, Rene Girard. He is a literary critique who began teaching French Literature many years ago because he needed money and the job promised a steady flow of it. Through his studies, he found that all of the classic literary pieces of the world exhibited a basic theory that I am only coming to fully understand.

As I understand it, Girard surmises that all violence comes from within the individual and flows out to others through "mimetism" (the need to mimic others). He purports that "I" desire because "I" see what "you" have and covet it. Rolled up in Girard's theory is "scapegoating" - once I cannot get what I want, I seek out an individual in the community who can serve as the reason for all of "my" problems. Once I consider how to get the community behind me, the blocks fall into place and the scapegoat is killed. Society goes back to "normal", the desirous parties get what they wanted, and the cycle starts again.So, why mention Girard's theory now?

Perhaps, as Girard proposes, there is a different way for Christians to look at the world that helps to diffuse such violent, tumultuous situations as our current one in Syria. The people who are called "Christians" could consider how we use the power that we have in the world for good ends. We are already in the midst of the turmoil simply because of its public nature. The question remains: How, then, shall we act?