A Vision of Nonviolence
A synopsis of “The Vision of Nonviolence,” by Fr. Thomas A. Peyton, MM
Fr. Tom Peyton, MM
Sent to Hong Kong by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers as a missionary, Fr. Peyton, as Chaplain of the Correctional Services Department, visited prison inmates weekly, giving support and encouragement, making them feel cared for and valued. He also ministered to underprivileged groups, such as lepers, street sleepers, parents of the disabled, and the ill and aging.
We see before us a war which is at best questionable; I offer you the response of nonviolence. Nonviolence says that no future, no vision will be brought about by destroying the adversary. To destroy our adversary is not to achieve brotherhood.
Nonviolence is not just a tactic but a style of life which seeks to bring all men together to reconciliation and justice, in truth and love. We have no greater example of nonviolence as a response to the problems of today than that of Martin Luther King, Jr. On the eve of his death, he said that “he stood on the mountain” and “saw the vision.” And he gave his life for that vision. His nonviolent response to gross injustice grew out of a vision of brotherhood in which all men are equally called to live together in truth and love.
The Goal of Nonviolence is to present the possibility of change to our adversaries, to give them the chance to freely accept our vision so as to participate in it. Through nonviolence, we can create dialogue with deep respect for the person, a respect that says the person is more important than any cause, and that always we must consider what will happen to the person. I believe that the world rejected once and for all a view that places the cause before the person, when it condemned an “obedient and dedicated” Eichmann.
Our wish is that all persons can become free, the oppressor as well as the oppressed. At all cost, we will avoid damage to the person that would interfere with his becoming free. We must try to give that person a way out. We must never take away from the person the ability to make a choice.
Nonviolence proceeds from a very deep faith that love can overcome evil. If we continue to love the people that we respond to, then they have a chance to make a decision. And every chance to choose offers a chance to make a new decision, to convert, to become the person one is meant to be.
Truth and Dialogue. The first end of nonviolence is truth. Nonviolence seeks truth in every situation and insists upon calm and patient patient deliberation so that all involved can be open to the new truth. The person that we are confronting may very well have something to say to us. No man contains all of the truth. The truth must come from a composite of common searching. We address ourselves to a situation of injustice and/or oppression to find the truth that brings justice and harmony.
Another end of nonviolence is dialogue—talk. No true nonviolent confrontation seeks to win a victory. We are learning more and more that there can be no victory in a human confrontation. If one side triumphs over the other, it destroys the dignity of man. It says that only I have the truth.
Nonviolence presents itself to talk. Nonviolent demonstrations and persons in an attitude of nonviolence are there to begin an honest search for truth. Out of this kind of dialogue, we begin to forge the truth that brings true peace.
Persistent Presence
The most important method of nonviolence is presence. We must present ourselves to the situation of injustice that we see. We have to become involved in some way. Nonviolence has no presence unless we are truly there to be seen, heard, and noticed. It must be noticed that we are there to break the bonds of fear—to bring calm and courage to a situation and to bring love.
Another method of nonviolence is persistence. If you are nonviolent, then you are there till death. You make that decision before you enter the situation. We cannot present ourselves to all situations. In some areas, we’ll be there till death, but in other areas, we may be there to help out. But we must be ready to persevere, and when we die, our spirit will continue our presence till the freedom of truth is finally achieved.