AGAPE - A CHALLENGE TO VIOLENCE
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- AGAPE - A CHALLENGE TO VIOLENCE
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Agape -
A Challenge to Violence
A. K. THARIEN
Dr. A.K. THARIEN. B.Sc.. MBBS. DLO. DOMS, F1CS. MAMS (Vienna)
is a currently the President of Fellowship of Reconciliation and
Vice-president of the International Christian Medical and Den
The Rev. A George Karunakaran,
General Secretary,
Fellowship of Reconciliation - India.
Madras-600 102
tal Association.
Other books by the same author
1)
2)
3)
4)
Witness of Ashrams in India today
A grain of seed
Is Modern Medical Technology a Challenge to
Chritian Ethics
Health for all (to be published soon)
Jointly Published by
—
The Christian Fellowship. Oddanchatra T>.
—
The Fellowship of Reconciliation.
OZZZS
Foreword
I am delighted to write this foreword for the book
on Non violence. I have known the author and his
commitment to the cause of non violence through
the Fellowship of Reconciliation India.
To quote Gandhi, "Non Violence is the most active
force in the world. It is a tool not for cowards, but for
the strongest and bravest. The true man of God is
strong enough to use the sword but does not do so
recognizing that every man is made in the image of
God".
May 1989
p,intedal
outoprint
7. north huzur road.
COMMUNITY HEALTH CELX
326, V Main, 1 3iock
Koran’r.ngala
Bangalore-560034 /
India
.
7
The treatment of the subject is plain and thought
provoking.
I recommend it for widespread reading. May we
live to see a day, when non violence springing from
true love will be a way of life.
Coimbatore - 641 018
Sd/- A. George Karunakaran
FL-1
|jt was a village. A beautiful Sunday morning.
Suddenly, two lorry brokers started to fight. They
hit each other. They bled. They cursed each
other. On enquiring, it was discovered that the
dispute was over a mere Rs.5 only. Several thou
sand able bodied young men are killed each
year due to violence ranging from major war to
a minor scuffle. What troubles one's mind is the
mindless involvement of many an established
government in covert activities. They organise
violence to pursue their perverted interests.
People do not recognize the dictum that "He
that rises by the sword shall perish by the sword'.
The spirit of this age seems to be 'Violence'.
Anything that causes indignity is violence.
Extracts of this book was earlier presented at the World Peace
Academy - New Delhi.
Bloodshed has become a way of life. The
whole atmosphere is charged with fear and anxi
ety. The fabric of human life is held to a ransom
by man inciting violence. Punjab and Srilanka
are two immediate examples.
Peter Rige has defined violence as the viola
tion of basic human rights of the person. It can
be social, economic, moral, political and or spiri
tual. Violence is the exercise of force to inflict
injury or damage to persons or property. It is
essentially destructive and intrinsically evil when
applied against persons. Violence causes chaos.
It is the antithesis of wholeness-Shalom. It impairs
a person's dignity and integrity.
Causes of Violence
Psychologists tell us that agressive tendencies
are obstacle removing activities. They can cause
injury though there may not be any hostile inten
tions. This is a part of the growing process.
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A study among the underprivileged children
reveals the following. A particular behaviour is
promoted by reward. This is more so when par
ents approve, actively or by silence, the agres
sive behaviour of their children. It is equally true
that excessive punishment does the same harm.
The quick results violence brings induces others
into that way.
Frustration is yet another cause of violence.
For example, the man who is scolded by the boss,
comes home and takes it on the wife or child.
Misdirection of the agressive impulses produces
violence. It is one form of projection. We project
upon others the evil thought that is in us. Then,
we direct hatred against them which is a kind of
self hatred. When two groups take this attitude
reciprocally, the seeds of conflict are sown.
There is a psychological law of conservation
of emotional energy and unfulfilled desires. Like
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a wound up internal watch spring, it can seek
release in the form of violence.
Fear, anxiety or insecurity also turns one to
violence. This operates in the realm of animals.
Recently, I spent three days in the famous Kruger
National Park in South Africa. It is an extensive
area of 200 miles which is a sanctuary for wild
animals. The wild animals came close to the cars
we were in and watched us. It was a surprise to
us. Where there is no fear there is no agression.
The inherent nature in human beings to domi
nate others is yet another cause for violence.
This is evident in all the human relationships be it
at personal levels or that of social groups. Nar
row nationalistic interests cause inescapable clash
of ideals resulting in violence.
Injustice is another basic cause of violence.
A good majority of the people of this world go
hungry to gross bed. There is mismanagement of
the economic resources at a global level which
contributes to injustice. The economic flow is from
the poorer nations to the richer.
War and Violence
Greed for more possessions and the desire to
acquire new markets is yet another reason for
war. The industrial build up offers employment to
quite a few of the vigourous men.
Military training brings out the worst of the
nature in man. It ultimately produces a profes
sional killer. Patriotism is decietfully exploited to
the gain of the war monging bosses. Tolstoy says
that war not only makes man an animal but also
turns him into a machine that blindly goes out
and kills.
The money spent on War and its preparation
is enough to provide for the basic food require
ments of the whole world.
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War and preparations for war have dieastrous effects on the worlds resources. The world
is spending a million and a half U.S. dollars per
minut on armaments, which is equalent to the
value of the basic food requirement of the world.
Twentyfive per cent of the world's scientific man
power is engaged in military and military related
pursuits. If all the worlds resources, material and
personnel, are redirected from the destructive +o
constructive channels, humanity will take a new
turn in peace and prosperity.
Non Violence as an alternative way
should be transmitted into constructive indigna
tion. Martin Luther King Jr recognised this and
used it as a potent and an efficient strategy is His
struggle.
He advocated that the Christian doctrine of
love be operated through the Gandhian method
of non violence.
The Dynamics of Non Violence
The power of love and non violence are so
harmonious that along with the other forces of
nature they conserve the highest form of growth
process.
According to Tolstoy, there are two principles
that work in man. They are the law of love and
the law of agression. The law of love is deep
seated and is present in each of us. It is possible
to reach out for it in others. If one is patient
enough, even the most hard hearted criminal will
respond to it. Equally present in man is the law
of agression. Gandhiji felt that the legitimate anger
Buddha said that by hating hatred does not
cease, but by non hating. Compassion and self
control are the highest virtues in the Buddhistic
thinking. In Hinduism, as Dr. Radhakrishnan says
‘Ahimsa Paramodharma' ie., non violence is the
highest virtue. In Maha Bharata Yudistira tells Bhima
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that Non Violence is the highest religion, the
highest penance, the highest truth from which all
virtues flow. Gandhiji said that non violence in its
dynamic condition means conscious suffering.
Jesus went a step ahead and said, 'love your
enemy'. When your enemy is hungry feed him,
when thirsty, give him a drink. He coupled this
with His concept of forgiveness and taught us to
show the left cheek, when struck on the right
one.
Integrity and empathy are two cardinal quali
ties that form the conduct of non violence. In
tegrity signifies consistency and wholeness lead
ing to human unity. It upholds values like honesty
and fairness. Empathy is seeing things through
the eyes of the other. Lack of this essential qual
ity is one of the basic causes of the never ending
problem of the people of South Africa or that of
Srilanka or Punjab. Non Violence has a liberating
and a transforming effect.
History of Non Violence
Active non violence means undiluted love and
fellow feeling. This works essentially through moral
persuation. Normally, two kinds of power are
operative in affecting change in relationship and
attitude. They are psychological and social power.
Martin Luther King Jr. in his struggle employed
them effectively to bring about changes in the
relational consequences between the whites and
the blacks, in the U.S.A.
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The history of Non Violence and its concept
has been traced to the Chandogya Upanisahd,
the Chinese Tao Te Ching and other ancient scrip
tures like the suffering servant of the Bible.
The practical application of non violence
lies in the implementation of absolute moral truths
in the realm of historical action. The core of non
violence is embedded in personal conduct. The
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non violent mon accepts violence with dignity
and a measure of agapic resourcefulness.
is more than what he could have with the use of
violence.
It demands courage, faith and freedom from
arrogance. This in turn helps to testify to the power
of love by the deeds of truth. One of the essen
tial areas is to assert the abandonment of the
use of force. This was done during the devising
of the Atlantic Charter, by Churchill and Roosev
elt. They expressed their belief that for spiritual as
well as realistic reasons the nations must aban
don the use of force.
There is no such thing as defeat in Non Vio
lence. But the end of violence is death.
Gandhiji’s concept
Non Violence implies complete self purifica
tion as is humanly possible. Man for Man, the
strength of non violence is in direct proportion to
the ability of the non violent person not to inflict
violence and not the will.
Non Violence as a principle is always greater
than violence, because the power at his disposal
The ultimate end of Non Violence is victory if
such a word can be used. In reality if there is no
defeat, there can be no victory.
Levels of generic Non Violence
There are three basic forms of non violence:
Non Resistance
Passive Resistance
Active non violent Resistance
Non Resistance
Tolstoy puts the teachings of Jesus Christ in
this way. "Never resist evil doer with force. Do
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COMMUNITY HEALtVJ CELfc
326, V Main, I Block
Koranung !i
Bangalore-56J034
India
5-0Q
not meet violence with violence.
you endure it.
If they beat
If they take your possessions, yield them up.
If they compel you to work, work, if they take
from you what you consider yours, give it up".
This does not mean acquiescence. It means yield
ing up at one level to over come evil with good.
This has redemptive influence in a spirit of love.
This is revolutionary.
Passive Resistance
Passive form of resistance is more an appeal
to Jusice than to love. It is a pragmatic form
conducted by the unarmed. It aims at defend
ing rights and asserting claims, while conserving
spiritual integrity. Non co-operation, withdrawal,
walkout, boycott are all expressions of moral
resistance.
tions in the various forms of non violent action.
Bertrand Russel pointed out during World War I,
that if passive resistance were adopted deliber
ately by the will of the whole nation with the
same measure of courage and discipline, which
is now displayed, it might achieve a far more
perfect protection for what is good In national
life than armies and navies can ever achieve with
out demanding the courage and the waste and.
the welter of brutality in modern war. One should
bear testimony to truth and love which will dem
onstrate his faith.
Non Violent direct action
Gandhiji's method of Sathyagraha (Soul Force)
exemplifies this insight. It has tactical applica-
The specific characteristics of non violent di
rect action is assertive. It is a positive action in
contrast to inaction or withdrawal, like civil dis
obedience, sitting in as human obstacle, block
ing traffic etc. It makes more exacting demands
upon personal conduct and on meeting the
opponent in his own disputed territory, like public
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prayer vigil whether silent or vocal. The action
may be more symbolic rather than coercive and
gives the oppenent sufficient notice and external
details to offer him an opportunity to take the
necessary precautions. As the action is rooted in
love it is intrinsically non violent.
In 1910, Brazil witnessed a conflict between
the indegeneous Indians and European imigrants.
Some case studies in non violent resistance
love".
It is important to recognise that non violent
methods which were morally right have been
successfully applied from time to time in various
countries in different situations.
Danish
In 1840 Hungary was finding Austrian rule
oppressive and demanded self government. There
was violent repression with the assistance of the
Russian army. A farmer, Ferenes Deak, organised
the people for passive resistance and non co
operation against the Austrian emperor until the
Emperor could persist no more and conceded to
the demands of the Hungarian people.
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Colonel Rondois, who was responsible for the
immigrants refused to take up arms against the
Indians. In course of time, though he lost some
of his soldiers, he ultimately won the Indians over
by his novel technique of "Patience, suffering and
In
1940 the Nazis invaded Denmark.
King
resisted
The
all attempts of Hitler to
dominate Denmark and effectively resisted, non
violently, the ruthless Nazis for over two years.
Norway was also invaded by the Nazis. The
pro German dictator Vidkum Quisling tried all the
violent Nazi techniques to subdue the teachers
who resisted. Vast majority of them resisted non
violently for five years, with grim endurance, for
the cause of justice and freedom.
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We are all familiar with the heroic struggle
against the social discrimination in Montgomery,
USA. In 1955, a black lady refused to move back
from her seat in a bus to give room to a white
passenger. She was arrested. This triggered off
the release of the long smouldering resentment
of the black community into non violent action
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. adopted Jesus Christ's
ethic of love and Gandhiji's non violent resistance.
This resulted in achieving the major rights for the
black people.
In India, there have been several success sto
ries of non violent resistances. Events in Kotgarh,
Simla, against the BEGAR customs, compaigns
against the compulsory indigo planting in Champaran; The Vaikom Sathyagraha in Kerala, for
temple entry of Harijans etc. are only some ex
amples. The historic non violent struggle for the
freedom of India, under the leadership of Gandhiji
is unique history in itself.
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The Law of Love
Kabir, one of India's medieval sages said, "He
is learned who has mastered the single word of
love'. Greek philosopher Plato said love (Eros)
was man's way to the divine, his seeking and
striving to attain immortality. In Aristotle, love as
sumes a cosmic significance. In Greek language,
three kinds of love are mentioned: Eros, the love
of the beautiful (sexual), Philios, the love of a friend
and Agape the love of the divine. The love dem
onstrated on the cross of Jesus Christ is the Agape
love, which empties itself to the utmost, for those
which are least desirable; the unfailing will for the
highest good of the beloved. It is that kind of
love which possess the power to penetrate barri
ers and love the stranger, the outcaste, the ugly
and the evil doer. Agape is not primarily man's
endeavor to reach God, but God's sacrificial way
to man. Jesus said "love your neighbour as your
self. St. Augustine said, the right kind of love
begins with oneself but it does not stop there, but
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goes on to his neighbour (caritas). It widens itself
to embrace our nearest kin, then strangers and
finally enemies. Love of one's neighbour is the
ladder on which we can mount up to God. I
love God as my "SUMMUM BONUM" (my highest
good). It follows that I must wish my neighbour
also to obtain a share in that ''BONUM".
"HUMAN LOVE" said Luther, "is acquisitive but
God's love is creative, creating something out of
nothing".
Herbert Spencer described the origin of spe
cies by means of natural selection leading to the
survival of the fittest in the struggle for life. But
many modern biologists believe that mutual aid
is a feature of greater importance for mainte
nance of life and preservation of species. Disci
plined, intelligent and creative love reduces frus
tration, resentment and violence and creates
healthier outlet for energy. Although non vio
lence is not love, it is a way of seeking justice in a
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manner that is compatible with love. It causes
minimum damage and holds the door open for
creative and constructive possibilities.
Ruthless physical force and passive resistance
Napoleon once said that the secret of a mili
tary victory is twentyfive per cent physical and
seventyfive per cent psychological or moral. In
war one seeks to demoralise the opponent, break
his will, destroy his confidence, enthusiasm and
hope. Captain Liddel Hart, well known writer on
war, wrote in his book "The Immemorial Lessons
of History" that the true aim in war is to weaken
or destory the morale of the enemy command,
soldiers and government and not the bodies of
their troops. The balance between victory and
defeat turns directly on mental impressions and
indirectly on physical forces.
The object of non-violent resistance is to some
extent analogous to this object of war, but with
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the difference that the purpose of demoralising
the opponent is only to re-establish in him a new
and nobler moral based on sounder values. The
aim non violent resistance is not to break the
opponents will, as in war, but to alter it; not to
destory his confidence, enthusiasm and hope, but
to transform it for a much loftier purpose. There
are lessons for us from the past the encounter of
the army against the defenceless people as it
happened when British troops occupyied Ruhr
after World War I; and the American soldiers staged
demoralization strikes in Germany and Philipines
(1945). In the Jallianwalabagh tragedy in Punjab,
when British soldiers opened fire on hundreds of
innocent defenceless people, it brought down
the prestige of the armed forces and the British
government and enhanced the cause of politi
cal freedom for India by winning sympathy and
uniting people.
tion for callous brutality. Historic evidence shows
that Cromwell's brutality in the conquest of Ire
land, did not defeat the passive resistance of the
Quakers. In Nazi Persecution of the Jews in 1940,
Nazis permitted the American Quakers to do re
lief work in Germany. When Soviet government
crushed the Hungarian rebellion in 1957, the mo
rale of the Russian troops who were in contact
with Hungarian workers deteriorated so much, in
spite of Soviet indoctrinisation, that the troops had
to be withdrawn and replaced.
It may be argued that non violent resistance
may not succeed against powers with a reputa
The principles of non violent resistance to
overcome violence and injustice had been con
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Conclusion
We are living in a world of violence. The
thrust towards violent conflicts in our world is dis
astrous and yet seemingly irresistable. War and
violence have never achieved lasting solution to
any problem.
OZZZS
COMMUNJTy
HEALTH CEU
321'. V Main. I block
Koranungal.i
Ban9a;=-rv-56u034
India
ceived and applied independently by people, in
many countries throughout human history. It has
been used in political, social and economic con
flicts against individuals, armed forces, powerful
dictators and mighty world powers. Seers like the
Buddha, Mahavir, Franc! of Assisi, George Fox,
David Thoreaus, Leo Tolstoy, Luther King Jr. and
many others were champions of its cause. Ma
hatma Gandhi was a rare person who applied
non violence successfully on a national scale. This
is significant in the present day situation when we
are faced with violence and when this small planet
of ours is threatened with total annihilation by
nuclear holocaust. We need a new orientation
in the system of education aiming for peace and
justice.
ultimately love that counts, both as a source of
resilient inner strength and as a means of
rapport.
In this process, non violence or
agapic (active) love is the force that can bind
the world and its people together and bring
in solidarity and sobriety to a world caught up in
the power of the wicked in violence. The choice
is before us.
The unity of human species, to think, feel, will,
understand and act is a fact. Though there are
differences in face, culture, nationhood, ideol
ogy and religion, humanity is essentially one. It is
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Copies are available at:
1.
The Christian Fellowship Hospital,
Oddanchatram - 624 619
Tamil Nadu
2.
F.O.R. Office,
Chrithavashram,
Manganam - 686 018
Kerala
3.
The International Fellowship of Reconciliation,
Spoorstraat 38
1815 BkAlkmaar
Netherlands
CAN YOU JUSTIFY?
*
The horrors of Hiroshima?
*
The killing of millions in wars?
*
The blood curdling violence in Sri Lanka
and Punjab ?
* ■ The spending of a million dollars a minute
for the arms race when millions are starving?
*
The threat of total anihilation of mankind in
nuclear holocast ?
IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE?
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