Juneteenth
Hello all,
On this, the week of Juneteenth (which actually comes this Wednesday), it seems appropriate to honor James Lawson, one of the architects of the Civil Rights movement, the man who taught the theory and practice of nonviolence to a whole generation of student protestors. James Lawson died this last week, at the age of 95. If you watched the funeral of John Lewis a few years ago, you will have seen Rev. Lawson deliver a moving memorial to his younger colleague in the movement.
A few days ago, I was at a conference in Boston with the theme, “Violence, Nonviolence, and Robust Democracy.” The timing of that conference and Lawson’s passing have got me thinking about the meaning of nonviolence for us at this moment in time. In his book, Revolutionary Nonviolence, Lawson had this to say:
We know that nonviolent power is the only power that can transform injustice into justice and truth. We know that nonviolent power enhances, enriches, and enlarges human beings who practice it, makes them more confident in their gift of life and in their life’s journey, and enables them to see and sense their personal power.
The idea that nonviolence transforms not just political systems or external circumstances but also “enlarges the human beings who practice it” is an intriguing idea. We’ve not (yet!) been called upon to confront police dogs, billy clubs, and water cannons, as did the Civil Rights protestors. How might this work in our current environment?
One of the central teachings of nonviolence is an emphasis on means, rather ends. In other words, renounce all attachment to outcomes, to end results. Instead, focus on means, what you can control. Don’t allow yourself to depend on polls, prognostications, and what ifs. Control what you can, which is your own mind, your own attitudes and actions.
Of course, being independent of outcomes does not mean indifference to outcomes. Far from it; a focus on timely and necessary action is essential. Attention to means makes you a careful craftsman when it comes to action. But there’s always an irreducible gap between all that work and what actually happens. Letting go of expectations, relaxing the tension that comes from worrying about and grasping for results, is deeply freeing.
Later in this same essay, Lawson observes, “Nonviolence insists that ends and means are the same thing, that we do not have control over many of the consequences of our behavior, but if our behavior is true, if our behavior is loving, if our behavior in correcting wrong is right, if our behavior uses good means, we sow the seeds for the consequences that will bear the fruits of righteousness, hope, peace, and joy.”
“Hope, peace, and joy.” I think we can all use more of these.
Happy Father’s Day,
Greg