The spiritual practice of living a nonviolent life poses tremendous challenge today in a world where it seems pent up anger, bitterness, dualism and resentment erupt into rage and disrespect for life. To counter such violence, how can we even begin to live nonviolence, to talk about nonviolence and to respond from an inner, grounded sense of peace and civility, reasonably with insight, imagination, humor and creativity?
“How do we talk about tough ideas without separating people from the content?” inquires Theaster Gates, potter by trade, social activist by calling, in one of my favorite TED Talks, entitled How to revive a neighborhood: with imagination, beauty and art. A practitioner of nonviolence himself, Theaster challenges us to consider the fact that our ability to converse, to create change and to ultimately transform ourselves, others and the world is only as confining as our willingness (or lack thereof) to engage imagination and beauty.
May we engage nonviolence in awe, wonder and beauty this week.
—Ann Jackson, PBVM, Prairiewoods spiritual services coordinator