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Working for Peace Without Recreating War
- Tikkun
- Duke University Press
- Volume 23, Number 2, March/April 2008
- pp. 30-65
- Article
- Additional Information
I magine that you are talking to a state legislator about peace and reducing violence, and in response you hear: “Are you another one of those antiwar people? Don’t you understand we are waging war for peace?” How would you respond? Like most people who hope to bring about peace for everyone on our planet, you have likely had conversations with people who hold very different opinions from your own. Whether with family members, in work places, during a demonstration, or even within your own activist groups, these conversations often heat up and turn into arguments. Despite our desire for peace, we continue to perpetuate the very thing we want to transcend. How do we bring our way of relating with people into line with our core values and ideals? In our experience, we have found that the practice of Nonviolent Communication (NVC)—a set of skills anyone can learn (see box on page 31)—can hugely increase the effectiveness of nonviolent social change, both inside our activist organizations and with those we are trying to connect with outside. Since June 2005, scores of activists have had access to a unique resource: a monthly ninety-minute conference call to receive support, coaching, reflection, and empathy in applying Nonviolent Communication. The results of this apparently simple strategy surprised us. The activists who attended (all of whom were volunteers with the U.S. Department of Peace [DOP] campaign—[see box]) often became more enthusiastic about their commitment to their campaign, and more confident in surfacing difficulties and moving through conflicts with peers and legislative representatives. Enthusiasm for learning and applying Nonviolent Communication has grown in the network. Since 2006, organizers of regional and national DOP gatherings have been adding trainings and workshops in NVC skills to their agendas. Though not every activist seized this work as a path to more effective participation in the campaign, many have and are actively doing so. This article is an opportunity for us to celebrate what has happened, and to share this model with other activist networks. Many Tikkun readers are connected to the Network of Spiritual Progressives (NSP). Starting in April we (Bay Area Nonviolent Communication ) will provide the same kind of monthly calls to NSP members , which we hope will help to increase the national impact of the NSP. Core Challenges to Being Peace Peace activists typically experience four areas of challenge in their efforts to practice nonviolence in the present while working for a nonviolent world in the future : 1. Within Each of Us: Many activists experience fatigue, burnout, doubt, and internal conflict. They want self-connection, self-acceptance, a sense of integrity, and vitality. 2. Within the Movement: Many activists experience conflict within the movement, as well as reduced productivity, difficulty staying focused on a task, and mistrust. They 30 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 0 8 Working for Peace Without Recreating War by Miki Kashtan and Dot Maver “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” –Gandhi 6.Politics_4.qxd:Politics 2/10/08 3:18 PM Page 30 want effectiveness in running meetings, mutually satisfying relationships working towards a shared goal, and faith in their ability to connect with colleagues. 3. With Family Members and Friends: Many activists dread family gatherings , which are often either superficially pleasant or acrimonious. They want a way to maintain relationships of love and openness and the capacity to engage with different viewpoints productively. 4. WithPeopleacrossthePoliticalDivide: Many activists feel discouragement about opening and maintaining dialogue with people and officials in fundamental disagreement with their positions. They want effective communication, capacity to stay in dialogue, and hope for transformation . Activists operate on all these levels. As Gandhi said: “The way of peace is the way of truth…. We may never be strong enough to be entirely non-violent in thought, word and deed. But we must keep non-violence as our goal and make steady progress towards it.” Alas, we still see much evidence that many people engage in nonviolent action while...