Listening to the Children

Training for the Long Haul

by Janet Chisholm

"We can’t do much anymore. You know, once you get past seventy…." That’s the refrain of some older FOR members. They lament that so many are graying, so many are dying, and that FOR membership rolls will surely dwindle. "Who will carry on the campaigns at the grassroots," they ask. "Who will provide the financial resources? We need to attract more members, more young adults, more allies."

In contrast to this view of the future are the protests in the US and around the globe—surely to be followed by many more—fueled by students and other young activists committed to justice and nonviolence. But their protests often are disrupted by a minority who are violent out of frustration or out of a different conviction about winning tactics or out of collaboration with the opposition. And the response by police is violent and repressive. There is torture, injury, and death. It is the violence system’s script once again: social change can occur only through war, not through transformation. Can there be a creative connection between these two visions of our future?

"The global struggle brings us to a turning point for the life of our world and its inhabitants—and a turning point for those committed to creative nonviolence," says Ken Butigan of Pace e Bene. "It is a time of maximum opportunity to fashion a movement that dispenses with the perception that social change is a war; it is the time to really experiment with Gandhi’s notion of nonviolence: the desire for, and action on behalf of, the well-being of all. There is increasing momentum worldwide for democracy, freedom and economic sufficiency." As justice-seekers, we’d like a quick fix, an assured victory. But that is not the history of nonviolence. The violence of protests has poured gasoline on the fire. The watching public has not seen an impressive and stark contrast between violent repression and a nonviolent protest where individuals willingly accept suffering rather than submit. The script has been that of the violence system. The power of nonviolence has been absent.

Bill Moyer, with forty years of experience in the analysis of social movements, emphasizes that what makes social change happen is people power, which is mobilized and maintained through creative nonviolence.

"Successful nonviolent campaigns can take years," says Jim Lawson, nonviolence trainer and human rights activist. "We should speak of protracted movements and the long haul, of the preparation and persistence and discipline practiced by Gandhi, King, the Philippine People’s Movement, the people of Central America, and others. Action begins locally—then spreads to other issues or regions. The action must engage the public—get the business community, politicians and others to see the wisdom of dialogue and cooperation. We can prepare ourselves best by studying successful, protracted nonviolent campaigns."

Veteran activists understand the need for a formation process that helps us loosen old skins, learn new scripts, and create new selves deeply grounded in the philosophy and vision of nonviolence. And they are committed to nonviolence as a spiritual practice. Moyer, Gandhi, Day, Lester, King, and Chavez all help us see a possibility beyond passivity or the war model. We will understand only by learning from one another and by mutual deepening and training and by experimenting and working in community.

Activist elders in FOR speak of prison time, a peace walk across the entire US, police brutality, creative tactics, celebrations, and periods of despair, inspiration, and spiritual strength. "I am convinced that you are the planters of the seeds of nonviolence," I tell them. "You may not see the seeds take root; teachers and parents and child caregivers know this reality. Nevertheless, it is you who can teach the next generations—the rest of us stand on your shoulders in defiance of oppression and injustice, violence and war. Tell us of your experience though lessons learned and experiments with nonviolence; share your perspective. Tell us how you persisted and how you sustained yourselves. Share your wisdom."

"She’s my oldest, living friend." That’s the way Sally introduces me to others at her party, with a combination of both reverence and good humor. The same may be said of our elders in FOR. They are our oldest, living friends, our greatest resource as we struggle to navigate and participate in the turbulent worldwide drive for justice. And how shall FOR contribute to the nonviolence formation process that is required to prepare activists? How shall we best utilize the wisdom of our elders? We propose developing a team of trainers and a training module to offer to groups in local areas across the country—groups that would sustain themselves for the long haul through continued nonviolence training and community—building and intergenerational learning, groups that would commit to ongoing action at the local level and in concert with FOR national campaigns. What are your ideas?

(This column was originally prepared for the Sept/Oct Fellowship on the Wisdom of the Elders.)