Centered in the Spirit: Creating Unity in the Movement
by Cristina Veran
Our temporal world is dominated by capital and empire, in inextricably intertwined, dehumanizing forms. It is therefore imperative for the global peace and justice movement to respond loudly and consistently to these forces, to reaffirm and reassert our humanity.
Creative action can reach deeper into the psyche of one’s target audience, commanding a multisensory engagement — from not only the intellect, but the eyes, and the heart. “Death Scene in Hawaii” was an act of creative/alternative protest, produced on and for the University of Hawaii’s Manoa campus this summer by Thai graduate students following the mass political violence that had overtaken the streets of central Bangkok. In memory of the otherwise nameless and faceless victims, the students placed themselves among the otherwise lusciously green and flowery grounds, posed as proxy bodies to represent their fallen countrymen and women. Passers-by were forced to confront and reckon with this reality, certainly beyond what a five-second glance of a newspaper headline would otherwise demand.
At the same time, there is great utility in activists knowing how to speak the “languages” of the corporation, the military, the government, and so on. More often than not, each side shouts at the other in different philosophical languages — when not dismissing or ignoring the other outright.
The challenge, as I see it, when uniting diverse groups of peoples with myriad cultures and beliefs behind a movement, is to find some way to be centered in the spirit — as distinct from being centered in religion (i.e., doctrine). We cannot frame and justify peace and justice activism globally in terms of what a particular holy book or specific spiritual leader or prophet has proscribed if we wish to engage cross-culturally, inter-religiously, etc. It’s crucial to identify the values that are shared irrespective of religious belief and practice — whether they be Shinto, Methodist, Hasidic, Lakota, Sufi, or Secular Humanist — as the locus of our activism. Let faith be the personal experience and expression that informs and inspires individuals, without overtaking the shared mission we must engage in our multi-everything universe.
I believe the moral framework our political and community leaders should look to can be summed up in a few simple, yet profound, ideas: Live with integrity — in personal and professional life. Honor your posterity — those who will come after us and have to live with the consequences of our decisions and actions when we are no longer on this earth. Listen with humility — especially to your constituents; those you wish to help or serve. Ask — do not tell — them what they want and need — which speaks also to the following: Decolon(ial)ize your thinking — resist the urge to conquer with your own sense of superiority, be it in terms of culture, religion, morality, economics, etc.
By the same turn, do not presume the superiority of another in all things, for we are each (as individuals and as peoples) endowed with great strengths and weaknesses of all manner and form. It is by working together and sharing our best(s) that we will achieve justice.
Cristina Verán is an international journalist who has documented social, cultural and political movements extensively, with a particular focus on Indigenous Peoples issues. She is currently a graduate student in the Indigenous Politics program of the Department of Political Science, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
