{"id":34,"date":"2011-01-01T12:39:51","date_gmt":"2011-01-01T12:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/wp\/?p=34"},"modified":"2012-01-19T04:51:20","modified_gmt":"2012-01-19T04:51:20","slug":"love-of-enemy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/?p=34","title":{"rendered":"Love of Enemy \/ Spiritualit\u00e9 et pratique de la non-violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love of Enemy <\/strong><\/p>\n

It is crucial that we stop trivializing nonviolence and refuse the false choice of “nonviolence or force”. The true choice is between the force of hatred\/violence and the force of love we call “nonviolence”. Addressing the problem of violence, the moderator of the World Council of Churches’ Central committee was quoted in the March 2001 issue of the _Anglican Journal_: “We do not judge those for whom, in extreme situations, when hope for justice and dignity has disappeared, the use of force as a last resort may become necessary.” No! force must be used immediately, not as a last resort, when we are confronted with serious injustice: the soul force of nonviolent resistance, with its many powerful tools. This force must be used immediately, not as a last resort, against the abuses of power by the Iraqi and U.S. military regimes.<\/p>\n

One way to probe this further is to compare the two forces in their organized states:<\/p>\n

The organized force of violence<\/strong> (e.g. socially sanctioned armies or illegal guerilla groups)
\nThe organized force of nonviolence <\/strong> (e.g. the legal U.S. civil rights movement, or the village of Le Chambon’s illegal resistance to the Nazis, or the Philippine people’s nonviolent overthrow of the Marcos military dictatorship)<\/p>\n

Where one needs WEAPONS<\/strong>, the other depends on the powerful TOOLS<\/strong> of active nonviolence (public education; conflict transformation; demonstrations; noncooperation; alternatives).
\nWhere one depends on a rigid HIERARCHY<\/strong> of authority, the other relies on the indestructible trust of genuine COMMUNITY AND LEADERSHIP<\/strong>.
\nWhere one depends on GIVING AND FOLLOWING ORDERS<\/strong>, the other lives the mystery of OBEDIENCE<\/strong>, which is the deepest possible listening to one another – including the enemy.
\nAnd finally, where one aims for VICTORY<\/strong> over individuals or groups, the other’s constant goal is RECONCILIATION<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It has taken me a long time to understand just how pervasively the culture of victory, winning and competition has poisoned us. I have just begun to see how few people do the sometimes hard, dangerous and frightening spiritual work of renouncing the culture of victory.<\/p>\n

Too many people who publicly profess to believe in reconciliation still secretly cling to the myth of victory as “more exciting” than “reconciliation” – just as competition is seen as “more exciting” than cooperation. For too many people, reconciliation may be the morally proper thing to aim for, but it is not exciting. The BOOM and BANG of violence titillates and intoxicates. (I was disturbed to see how many people allowed themselves to watch day after day of the repulsive Gulf War visual propaganda, which reduces the mass destruction and murder to bright explosions on the television screen. It reminded me of the Romans passively watching slaughter as entertainment.)<\/p>\n

I believe that until we confront and renounce the real power which victory has over us we only approach reconciliation as a moral duty and can never be physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually stimulated by its depth and breadth.<\/p>\n

Part of the problem is that, in a culture that props up this myth of victory-as-excitement, we hear too few of the powerful stories of reconciliation. Stanley W. Green, originally from South Africa, now President of the U.S. Mennonite Board of Missions, told the story of an elderly South African woman who had suffered terrible losses at the hands of a brutal murderer:<\/p>\n

“She stood in an emotionally charged courtroom, listening to a group of white police officers acknowledge the atrocities they had perpetrated in the name of apartheid. Officer van de Broek acknowledged his personal responsibility in the death of her son. Along with others, van de Broek shot her 18-year-old son at point blank range. The group partied while they burned his body, turning it over and over on the fire until it was completely reduced to ashes. Eight years later, van de Broek and others arrived to collect her husband. A few years later, shortly after midnight, van de Broek again appeared and took the woman to a place beside a river. On a woodpile her husband lay bound. They forced her to watch as they poured gasoline over his body and ignited the flames that consumed his body. The last words she heard from him were, “Forgive them”. Now van de Broek stood before her awaiting judgement. Vengeance seemed inevitable. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission officers asked her what she wanted. “I want three things,” she said calmly. “I want Mr. Van de Broek to take me to the place where they burned my husband’s body. I would like to gather up the dust and give him a decent burial. Second, Mr. Van de Broek took all my family away from me and I still have a lot of love to give. Twice a month, I would like for him to come to the ghetto and spend a day with me so I can be a mother to him. Third, I would like Mr. Van de Broek to know that he is forgiven by God, and that I forgive him too. And, I would like someone to come and lead me by the hand to where Mr. Van de Broek is, so that I can embrace him and he can know my forgiveness is real.” As they led the elderly woman across the silent courtroom, van de Broek fainted, overwhelmed. In the courtroom, someone began singing “Amazing Grace”. Gradually, others joined in until, finally, everyone there was singing the familiar hymn.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 
\nby Leonard Desroches, pp. 24 – 26
\nAvailable from DUNAMIS publishers, 249 Main St., Ottawa, ON Canada, K1S 1C5<\/p>\n

 
\nSpiritualit\u00e9 et pratique de la non-violence<\/strong>
\npar L\u00e9onard Desroches
\npubli\u00e9 par Novalis, C.P. 990, succursale Delorimier, Montr\u00e9al (QC) H2H 2T1<\/p>\n

Deux Forces : un seul choix<\/p>\n

Pour la majorit\u00e9 des gens, la non-violence est une bonne chose. Paradoxalement, elle n’est presque jamais comprise comme une force, la force de l’amour. Le monde est r\u00e9gi par deux forces entre lesquelles il nous faut faire un choix.<\/p>\n

En 1990, la Conf\u00e9rence religieuse canadienne, qui repr\u00e9sente le communaut\u00e9s des religieux et religieuses du Canada, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 officiellement que la justice \u00e9tait un \u00e9l\u00e9ment constitutif de sa vision d’ensemble. En juin 2000, les personnes qui dirigent ces communaut\u00e9s m’ont invit\u00e9 \u00e0 leur congr\u00e8s afin d’explorer la non-violence \u00e9vang\u00e9lique. “Avec quelle force, ai-je lanc\u00e9, allons-nous demander \u00e0 la communaut\u00e9 \u00e9ccl\u00e9siale de faire oeuvre de justice?” De la m\u00eame fa\u00e7on que la justice avait \u00e9t\u00e9 jug\u00e9e constitutive, la non-violence \u00e9vang\u00e9lqieu devait \u00eatre consid\u00e9r\u00e9e comme une partie constitutive du travail en faveur de la justice.<\/p>\n

Avec quelle force? Il faut cesser de banaliser la non-violence. Nous devons refuser le faux choix entre non-violence ou force. Le v\u00e9ritable choix \u00e0 faire oppose la force de la haine\/violence et la force de l’amour, qui s’appelle non-violence.<\/p>\n

Dans le Anglical Journal de mars 2001, on cite le mod\u00e9rateur de comit\u00e9 central du Conseil oecum\u00e9nique des Eglises au sujet du probl\u00e8me de la violence : “Nous ne jugeons pasceux pour qui, dans une situation extr\u00eame o\u00f9 l’espoir de justice et de dignit\u00e9 a disparu, l’usage de la force comme recours ultime puise \u00eatre n\u00e9cessaire.” Non! La force doit \u00eatre employ\u00e9e d\u00e8s maintenant et non comme ultime recours lorsqu’on est confront\u00e9 \u00e0 une profonde injustice : la force de la r\u00e9sistance non violente, avec ses nombreux et puissants outils.<\/p>\n

Pour explorer plus avant cette r\u00e9alit\u00e9, comparons la force de la violence organis\u00e9 <\/strong>comme, par exemple, celle que les arm\u00e9es reconnues par la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 ou les gu\u00e9rillas ill\u00e9gales exercent et la force de la non-violence organis\u00e9e<\/strong>. Cette derni\u00e8re est \u00e0 l’oeuvre, par exemple, dans le mouvement l\u00e9gal pour les droits civils aux Etats-Unis, dans la r\u00e9sistance ill\u00e9gale de la paroisse de Le Chambon contre les nazis, ou encore dans le renversement non violent de la dictature militaire de Marcos par la population philippine.<\/p>\n

L\u00e0 o\u00f9 la premi\u00e8re force a besoin d’armes<\/strong>, la seconde compte sur les outils<\/strong> puissants de la non-violence active (\u00e9ducation du public, r\u00e9solution de conflits, manifestations, non-coop\u00e9ration, intervention, solutions de rechange, etc.)
\nL\u00e0 o\u00f9 l’une d\u00e9pend des ordres donn\u00e9es et suivies de fa\u00e7on rigide<\/strong>, l’autre vit le myst\u00e8re de l’ob\u00e9issance<\/strong>, qui repr\u00e9sente la plus profonde \u00e9cute possible de l’autre, notamment de l’ennemi.
\nEnfin, l\u00e0 o\u00f9 l’une vise la victoire<\/strong> sur des personnes ou des groupes, l’autre a constamment pour but la r\u00e9conciliation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Il m’a fallu bien du temps pour comprendre que la culture de la victoire et de la concurrence agit sur nous tel un poison p\u00e9n\u00e9trant. Je commence seulement \u00e0 voir l’\u00e9n\u00e9rgie spirituelle in\u00e9puisable, parfois dangereuse, que d\u00e9ploie un petit nombre de personnes pour renoncer \u00e0 cette culture. J’ai trouv\u00e9 d\u00e9rangeante que tant de gens se soient permis de regarder, jour apr\u00e8s jour, la r\u00e9pugnante propagande duffus\u00e9e sur la Guerre du Golfe, en 1991, qui r\u00e9duisait la destruction massive et le meurtre \u00e0 de brillantes explosions t\u00e9l\u00e9diffus\u00e9es. Cela m’a rappel\u00e9 la passivit\u00e9 des Romains qui se divertissaient en regardant les massacres.<\/p>\n

Parmi les gens qui professent publiquement leur foi en la r\u00e9conciliation, un trop grand nombre reste encore secr\u00e8tement attach\u00e9 au mythe voulant que la victoire soit plus \u00e9clatante que la coop\u00e9ration; un trop grand nombre pense encore que la r\u00e9conciliation est un but moralement plus juste mais qu’elle n’est pas aussi excitante. Les “boum” et les “bang” que fait entendre la violence titillent et intoxiquent. Tant que nous ne confronterons et ne renoncerons pas \u00e0 l’attrait de la victoire, la r\u00e9conciliation se r\u00e9sumera \u00e0 un devoir moral, et jamais sa prfondeur et sa force ne nous stimuleront sur le plan physicque, mental, emotionnel et spirituel. Une partie de probl\u00e8me r\u00e9sulte du fait que, dans cette culture de la victoire\/ excitation, one entend rarement parler de r\u00e9conciliation r\u00e9elle et du pouvoir colossal qu’elle rec\u00e8le.<\/p>\n

Stanley W. Green, originaire d’Afrique du Sud et actuel pr\u00e9sident du Conseil des missions mennonites des Etats-Unis, rapporte l’histoire d’une vielle Sud-Africaine qui avait perdu plusieurs des siens aux mains d’un sadistique meurtrier :<\/p>\n

Debout dans la cour o\u00f9 l’\u00e9motion \u00e9tait palpable, elle a \u00e9cout\u00e9 les policiers blancs reconna\u00eetre les atrocit\u00e9s qu’ils avaient commises au nom de l’apartheid. L’officier van de Broek a avou\u00e9 \u00eatre personnellement responsable de la mort de son fils. Van de Broek et d’autres policiers avaient tir\u00e9 \u00e0 bout portant sur son fils de 18 ans. Ils avaient f\u00eat\u00e9 en br\u00fblant le corps qu’ils avaient tourn\u00e9 et retourn\u00e9 sur le feu jusqu’\u00e0 ce qu’il soit r\u00e9duit en cendres. Huit ans plus tard, van de Broek \u00e9tait venu avec d’autres s’emparer de son mari. Peu de temps apr\u00e8s, vers minuit, van de Broek emmena la femme jusqu’\u00e0 un endroit pr\u00e8s de la rivi\u00e8re. Son mari \u00e9tait attach\u00e9 sur un tas de bois. Ils avaient forc\u00e9 la femme \u00e0 regarder tandis qu’ils jetaient de l’essence sur lui et mettaient le feu. Les derniers mots de son mari avaient \u00e9t\u00e9 “pardonne-leur”. Aujourd’hui van de Broek \u00e9tait l\u00e0, attendant le jugement. La vengeance semblait in\u00e9vitable. Les responsables de la Commission v\u00e9rit\u00e9 et r\u00e9conciliation ont demand\u00e9 \u00e0 la femme ce qu’elle voulait. “Je veux trois choses, a-t-elle r\u00e9pondu calmement. Je veux que M. van de Broek me conduise sur les lieux o\u00f9 ils ont br\u00fbl\u00e9 le corps de mon mari. J’aimerais recueillir ses cendres et lui donner une s\u00e9pulture d\u00e9cente. Ensuite, M. van de Broek m’a pris toute ma famille alors que j’ai encore beaucoup d’amour \u00e0 donner. J’aimerais qu’il m’accompagne dans le ghetto deux fois par mois et passe une journ\u00e9e avec moi, de sorte que je puisse \u00eatre une m\u00e8re pour lui. Finalement, je veux que M. van de Broek sache que Dieu lui pardonne et que moi aussi je lui pardonne. Je voudrais maintenant que quelqu’un me prenne par la main et m’emm\u00e8ne l\u00e0 o\u00f9 se trouve M. van de Broek pour que je l’embrasse et qu’il sache que mon pardon est r\u00e9el.” Pendant qu’on aidait la vielle femme \u00e0 traverser le tribunal silencieux, van de Broek, \u00e0 bout de force, s’est \u00e9vanoui. Dans la salle, quelqu’un s’est mis a chanter Amazing Grace. Peu \u00e0 peu, d’autres y ont joint leur voix jusqu’\u00e0 ce que finalement tout le monde chante cet hymne familier.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Love of Enemy It is crucial that we stop trivializing nonviolence and refuse the false choice of “nonviolence or force”. The true choice is between the force of hatred\/violence and the force of love we call “nonviolence”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-promote-peace"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":431,"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34\/revisions\/431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.consciencecanada.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}