THOMAS MERTON: THOUGHTS ON NONVIOLENCE

NONVIOLENCE is perhaps the most exacting of all forms of struggle, not only because it demands first of all that one be ready to suffer evi na even face the threat of death without violent retaliation, but because it excludes mere transient self-interest fom its considerations. In a very real sense, he who practices nonviolent resistance must commit himself not to the defense of his own interest or even those of particular group: he must commit himself to the defense of objective truth and right and above all of man. His aim is then not simply to "prevail" or to prove that he is right and that the adversary wrong, or to make the adversary give in and yield what is demanded of him. Nor sould the nonviolent resister be content to prove himself that his is virtuous and right, and that his hands and heart are pure eve though the adversary's may be evil and defiled. Still less should he seek for himself the psychological gratifications of upsetting the adversary's consience and perhaps driving him to an act of bad faith and refusal of the truth. We know that our unconconscious may, at times, make our nonviolence a form of moral aggression and even a subtle provocation designed (without our awareness) to bring out the evil we hope to find in the adversary, and thus to justify ourselves in our own eyes and in the eyes of "decent people".



Strong hate, the hate that takes joy in hating, is strong because it does not believe itself to be unworthy and alone. It feels the support of a justifying God, of an idol of war, an avenging and destroying spirit. From such blood-drinking gods the human race was once liberated, with great toil and terrible sorrow, by the death of God Who delivered Himself to the Cross and suffered the pathological cruelty of His own creatures out of pity for them. In conquering death He opened their eyes to the reality of a love which asks no questions about worthiness, a love which overcomes hatred and destroys death. But men have now come to reject this divine revelation of pardons and they are consequently returning to the old war gods, the gods that insatiably drink blood and eat flesh of men. It is easier to serve hate-gods because they thrive on the worship of collective fanaticism. To serve the hate-gods, one has only to be blinded by collective passion. To serve the God of Love one must be free, one must face terrible responsibility of the decision to love in spite of all unworthiness whether in oneself or in one's neighbour.