HRVATSKI Mirotvorni pokret
Hrvatski mirotvorni pokret
1. Hrvatska utnja: Nemogunost istupa u Hrvatskoj, NYT i IHT,
Foreign Affairs
2. Europska krivica i hrvatsko sjeanje
3. Od banalnosti zla do banalnosti povrnosti i bahatosti
6. Eichmann and the 'Banality of Evil'
Published in the same year as On Revolution, Arendt's book about
the Eichmann trial presents both a continuity with her previous
works, but also a change in emphasis that would continue to the end
of her life. This work marks a shift in her concerns from the
nature of political action, to a concern with the faculties that
underpin it - the interrelated activities of thinking and
judging.
She controversially uses the phrase 'the banality of evil' to
characterize Eichmann's actions as a member of the Nazi regime, in
particular his role as chief architect and executioner of Hitler's
genocidal 'final solution' (Endlosung) for the 'Jewish problem'.
Her characterization of these actions, so obscene in their nature
and consequences, as 'banal' is not meant to position them as
workaday. Rather it is meant to contest the prevalent depictions of
the Nazi's inexplicable atrocities as having emanated from a
malevolent will to do evil, a delight in murder. As far as Arendt
could discern, Eichmann came to his willing involvement with the
program of genocide through a failure or absence of the faculties
of sound thinking and judgement. From Eichmann's trial in Jerusalem
(where he had been brought after Israeli agents found him in hiding
in Argentina), Arendt concluded that far from exhibiting a
malevolent hatred of Jews which could have accounted
psychologically for his participation in the Holocaust, Eichmann
was an utterly innocuous individual. He operated unthinkingly,
following orders, efficiently carrying them out, with no
consideration of their effects upon those he targeted. The human
dimension of these activities were not entertained, so the
extermination of the Jews became indistinguishable from any other
bureaucratically assigned and discharged responsibility for
Eichmann and his cohorts.
Arendt concluded that Eichmann was constitutively incapable of
exercising the kind of judgement that would have made his victims'
suffering real or apparent for him. It was not the presence of
hatred that enabled Eichmann to perpetrate the genocide, but the
absence of the imaginative capacities that would have made the
human and moral dimensions of his activities tangible for him.
Eichmann failed to exercise his capacity of thinking, of having an
internal dialogue with himself, which would have permitted
self-awareness of the evil nature of his deeds. This amounted to a
failure to use self-reflection as a basis for judgement, the
faculty that would have required Eichmann to exercise his
imagination so as to contemplate the nature of his deeds from the
experiential standpoint of his victims. This connection between the
complicity with political evil and the failure of thinking and
judgement inspired the last phase of Arendt's work, which sought to
explicate the nature of these faculties and their constitutive role
for politically and morally responsible choices.
23. veljaca 2005
Slobodan Lang: Banalnost povrnosti dosadanje zdravstvene
politike
ZAGREB - U Stajalitima od 17. veljae kao lijenik, politiar i lan
Nacionalnog zdravstvenog vijea iznio sam to treba initi ministar
zdravstva. Traio sam hrabrost da se u Hrvatskoj nastavi pruati
medicinsku pomo na temelju zdravstvenih potreba a ne prema
mogunosti plaanja.
Ocjenjujui zdravstvo nadstranakim ali vodeim pitanjem ope
politike i dobrobiti graana, predloio sam da se provede cjelovit
uvid u stanje i mogunosti, uz sudjelovanje to veeg broja strunjaka,
praktiara, gospodarstvenika i graana. A nakon cjelovite analize i
provedene javne rasprave, da Hrvatski sabor usvoji strateke ciljeve
zdravlja i zdravstvene zatite, naina organizacije i
financiranja.
to je ministar dosad radioU Nedjeljnom Vjesniku od 20. veljae
objavljen je "razgovor s Andrijom Hebrangom: to sve eka njegova
nasljednika" pod naslovom "Konsenzus stranaka o reformi zdravstva
ili bankrot".U obrazlaganju takva stanja prof. Hebrang navodi vie
uzroka, meu kojima i sljedee: da "trokovi stalno novih metoda
poskupljuju deset posto svake godine, a na BND raste samo etiri
posto, te nam svake godine fali pedeset posto sredstava; da se
participacija, ovisno o imovinskom stanju a ne plai i mirovini,
primjenjuje u svim modernim zdravstvenim sustavima; loe
zakonodavstvo i dugovi Raanove vlade; organizacijska nespretnost
HZZO-a; ucjene proizvoaa i dobavljaa lijekova; korumpirajui letovi
trideset ravnatelja na rukometna prvenstva; trideset do etrdeset
posto falsificiranja, ukradenog u obraunu plaa..."On smatra da
treba smjenjivati ravnatelje, ali "za to nema volje gdje postoje
najee stranake, koalicijske, rodbinske, prijateljske i druge
veze."to je ministar radio dosad? Kad je stanje tako teko, kako je
mogao preuzeti i druge, i to kljune dunosti u Vladi? Zato nije
prije na to upozorio? Zato nije pozvao na suradnju strunjake i
zastupnike? Zato smo dva mjeseca ekali novog ministra?DC je lan
koalicije ove vlade i preuzeo je izravnu odgovornost na tekom
podruju (pravosue). Od samog smo poetka ministru Hebrangu dali na
znanje da narodno zdravlje i zdravstvo smatramo vanim podrujem
odgovornosti cijele vlade i da elimo suraivati na tom podruju. Niti
stranka niti ja kao strunjak za javno zdravstvo nismo niti jedanput
bili pozvani da nas se informira, pita, predloi, trai suradnju-bilo
to!
Plitka i brzopleta rjeenjaIstodobno, duboko svjesni vanosti
narodnoga zdravlja sudjelovali smo u odravanju Prvog hrvatskog
kongresa preventivne medicine i unapreenja zdravlja, u pokretanju
Hrvatskog asopisa za javno zdravstvo i prikazu alternativa razvoja
hrvatskog zdravlja i zdravstva. Upozorili smo na kljuna pitanja
demografskog zdravlja, na opasnosti od droge meu mladima i na
potrebu uvoenja u kole predmeta o zdravlju.Osudili smo olako
smjenjivanje i kvalificiranje uglednih strunjaka i neprihvatljivo,
neobrazloeno smjenjivanjedvadeset uglednih intelektualaca Vladina
Bioetikog povjerenstva. Vratili smo u javnost Sveuilinu bolnicu i
traili aktivno meunarodno humanitarno sudjelovanje. Ovih je dana DC
ocijenio da Hrvatska drava nema kontrolu nad vanim podrujem
medicinski potpomognute oplodnje ' te je pristupio izradi
prijedloga zakonskog rjeenja.Dosadanjuzdravstvenu politiku
obiljeava banalnost povrnosti,nezainteresiranost i redukcionizam.
Sada se olako ocjenjuje, plitko analizira i brzopleto predlau
rjeenja. Takvo ponaanje nije izraz ni gluposti ni zloe odgovornih.
Uzrok je u nedovoljnomrazmiljanju, suradnji i davanju vanosti
narodnom zdravlju i hrvatskom zdravstvu. Standardne fraze,
impresioniranje podacima, prijetnje, kvalificiranje i smjenjivanje
nisu nain voenja dobre zdravstvene politike.
Nadstranako okupljanje za hrvatsko zdravstvoNai ljudi ive teko,
meu nama mnogo je siromanih, stalno smo izvrgnuti kriminalnim
aferama, esto nedolinim ponaanju politiara, samoubojstvima
branitelja i alosnim povredama nacionalnog i ljudskog dostojanstva.
U takvoj situaciji teko je oekivati pozornost graana u zahtjevu za
kvalitetnu zdravstvenu politiku, ali molim one koji vole svoju
djecu, roditelje i branog druga da razmisle o tome i to javno
trae.Kao lijenik i politiar zaotrio sam prikaz dosadanjeg rada i
razlike u predloenim stavovima. Bankrot sustava ili pad vlade
ucjena je, a ne prihvatljiv dogovor. DC ne prihvaa olako stranaka
dogovaranja o prenoenju tereta u zdravstvu na pacijente i
graane.Zdravstvo je nadstranako podruje i zahtijeva cjelovito
razmatranje, javnu raspravu i koritenje svih resursa u rjeavanju.
DC poziva na nadstranako okupljanje za zdravlje i zdravstvo u
Hrvatskoj. to se tie planova, uvijek u se baviti brigom za zdravlje
i javno dobro. Toliko toga treba jo uiniti.Autor je lijenik, lan
Nacionalnoga zdravstvenoga vijea, predsjednik Glavnoga odbora
DC-a.
Izvor: Vjesnik
Autor: Slobodan Lang
4. Potreba sada: Bliski Istok
5. Prekid povijesti vlast politike
6. Temelj za 21. stoljee Mir, nenasilje, dobro.
7. Iskustvo 20. stoljea 100 godinji rat, sukob nasilja i
nenasilja
8. Hrvatska ponos i dostojanstvo vlastitosti: odnos u sebi,
miljenje drugih,
ponuda vlastitih mogunosti, stavovi o globalnim pitanjima.
9. Hrvatsko nasljee: meusobna podijeljenost i nerazumijevanje
sve do podcjenjivanja, odbacivanja i sukoba. Nerazumijevanje u
svijetu, ne iskazivanje iz Hrvatske.
10. Pisanje povijesti: World History, European History, 20th
Century, Nakon 1945, Dunanov san. Tek 50 godina kasnije. Akademija,
Sveuilite, Matica.
11. Oblici, uzroci, i razlozi dananjih Hrvatskih podjela.
12. Savjetnik, suradnik i partner Tumana
13. Nema svjetskog mirotvorca nakon Ivana Pavla II Stanje
Hrvatske
14. Sukobi na bliskom istoku
15. Hrvatska sada: Haag, Pristupanje Europi, Ocjenjivanje,
Podijeljenost Poslunost. Izostavljeno iskustvo Ulaenje u Europu,
suenje, usklaivanje, poslunost, ne unoenje bogatstva
16. Postojei Izvori: CMJ, Medicina, ene, Prognanici, Dnevnici i
akcije, HJZ, Pruena ruka
17. Narod je branio dravu: glasanje - referendum, stradanje
(ubijeno, invalidi, prognani, okupirano, silovano, zarobljeno)
obrana, ene, lijenici, kulturni radnici, iseljenici, stranci,
duhovno, Tuman.
18. Akcije:
19. idovi,
20. Kosovo,
21. Prije rata (Deklaracija, Petrova Gora, 14 kongres)
22. SAD (posjeti, pismo, Harvard, akcija u Mostaru).
23. Svijea
24. Libertas,
25. Mostar
26. Bijeli Put
27. Banja Luka
28. Spasimo ivot
29. Povratak u Kladuu
30. Jasenovac
31. Neuspjelo: Godinji koncert, logori, bolnice, konferencija
CK
32. Zid Boli.
33. Teorijska mudrost: IPU, Council of Europe, Harvard, Zdravi
Gradovi, Britanski lijenici, Zavodi,
34. Teorijski koncept prije rata
35. Vlastiti pristup: izvori (Gandhi, Buber, King, Tolstoj,
HSS?) rizici (logori, etniko ienje, ubijanje, razaranje, bolnice,
mrnja, genocid. Pojedinano obrazloiti. Akcije, pristup konceptu na
Harvardu, Ranjeni Krist. Nenasilja
The 1930 Salt March
Gandhi began a new campaign in 1930, the Salt Satyagraha. Gandhi
and his followers set off on a 200-mile journey from Ashram
Ahmedabad to the Arabian Ocean where Gandhi wanted to pick up a few
grains of salt. This action formed the symbolic focal point of a
campaign of civil disobedience in which the state monopoly on salt
was the first target. Prior to the beginning of the action, Gandhi
sent a letter to the Lord Lieutenant "Dear Friend (...) Whilst,
therefore, I hold the British rule to be a curse, I do not intend
harm to a single Englishman or to any legitimate interest he may
have in India (...) My ambition is nothing less than to bring round
the English people through non-violence to recognize the injustice
they have done to India. I do not intend to be offensive to your
people. Indeed, I would like to serve your people as I would my own
(...)."
Yet the Lord Lieutenant didn't even reply personally to his
letter. Gandhi held his last prayer meeting on the evening of the
11th of March 1930. "There can be no turning back for us hereafter.
We will keep on our fight till swaraj is established in India.
Those of them that are married should take leave of their wives. We
are as good as parting from the Ashram and from our homes.--- Let
nobody assume that after I am arrested there will be no one left to
guide them. It is not I but Pandit Jawaharlal who is your guide. He
has the capacity to lead."
[Back to top of page]
It was hoped that this action would spread across India.
Wherever possible, civil disobedience was to be used to counter the
salt laws. It was illegal to manufacture salt, regardless of the
location. The possession and trading of smuggled salt (natural salt
or salt earth) was also illegal. Anyone caught selling smuggled
salt was liable to prosecution. To collect salt from the natural
deposits at the coast was also illegal.
Gandhi had a large group of well-trained Satyagrahi available to
him; as well trained in observation as they were in spreading
propaganda among the masses. They were bound by a joint pledge and
by the principles of the "Ashram in Exodus", which encompassed
three points: prayer, spinning and keeping a diary. They wore
uniform clothing (a sort of Khaki uniform) and wore the headwear of
prisoners.
After a 24-hour long march to the Indian Ocean, Gandhi picked up
a few pieces of salt - a signal to the rest of the sub-continent to
do the same. This raw material was carried inland before being
processed on the roofs of houses in pans and then sold. Over 50,000
Indians were imprisoned for breaking the salt laws. The entire
protest was carried out almost without violence. Indeed, it was
this that annoyed the police.
[Back to top of page]
A report from the English journalist, Webb Miller, who witnessed
one of the clashes, has become a classic description of the way in
which Satyagraha was carried out at the forefront of the battle
lines. 2,500 volunteers advanced on the salt works of Dhrasana:
"Gandhi's men advanced in complete silence before stopping about
one-hundred meters before the cordon. A selected team broke away
from the main group, waded through the ditch and neared the
barbed-wire fence. (...) Receiving the signal, a large group of
local police officers suddenly moved towards the advancing
protestors and subjected them to a hail of blows to the head
delivered from steel-covered Lathis (truncheons). None of the
protesters raised so much as an arm to protect themselves against
the barrage of blows. They fell to the ground like pins in a
bowling alley. From where I was standing I could hear the
nauseating sound of truncheons impacting against unprotected
skulls. The waiting main group moaned and drew breath sharply at
each blow. Those being subjected to the onslaught fell to the
ground quickly writhing unconsciously or with broken shoulders
(...). The main group, which had been spared until now, began to
march in a quiet and determined way forwards and were met with the
same fate. They advanced in a uniform manner with heads raised -
without encouragement through music or battle cries and without
being given the opportunity to avoid serious injury or even death.
The police attacked repeatedly and the second group were also
beaten to the ground. There was no fight, no violence; the marchers
simply advanced until they themselves were knocked down. (...)"
Following their action, the men in uniform, who obviously felt
unprotected with all their superior equipment of violence, could
think of nothing better to do than that which seems to overcome
uniformed men in similar situations as a sort of "natural" impulse:
If they were unable to break the skulls of all the protesters, they
now set about kicking and aiming their blows at the genitals of the
helpless on the ground. "For hour upon hour endless numbers of
motionless, bloody bodies were carried away on stretchers",
according to Webb Miller.
What did the Satyagrahi achieve? Neither were the salt works
taken, nor was the Salt Act in its entirety formally lifted. But
the world began to realize that this was not the point. The Salt
Satyagraha had demonstrated to the world the almost flawless use of
a new instrument of peaceful militancy.
[Taken from: Gnther Gugel, Wir werden nicht weichen. Erfahrungen
mit Gewaltfreiheit. Eine praxisorientierte Einfhrung, Verein fr
Friedenspdagogik e.V., Tbingen 1996, 51ff.]
The Salt March To Dandi
The Salt Tax
After proclaiming the Declaration of Independence of India on
January 26, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi came to an impasse in his
political career focused on freeing India from British rule. A new
anti-government campaign was imperative for achieving the
secularization of India for its people; it remained unclear,
however, to Gandhi what form was most appropriate for this campaign
to take (Sheean 152; 156-7). During the period that followed in
which he could find "no light at the end of the tunnel,"; it became
apparent to Gandhi that non-violent civil disobedience would form
the basis for any ensuing protest (Sheean 152; 156-7). Beginning in
February 1930, Gandhi's thoughts swayed towards the British salt
tax, one of many economic improprieties used to generate revenue to
support British rule, as the focal point of non-violent political
protest (Ashe 301). The British monopoly on the salt tax in India
dictated that the sale or production of salt by anyone but the
British government was a criminal offense punishable by law (Ashe
301). Moreso than in more temperate climates, salt was invaluable
to the people of India, many of whom were agricultural laborers and
required the mineral for metabolism in an environment of immense
heat and humidity where sweating was profuse. Occurring throughout
low-lying coastal zones of India, salt was readily accessible to
laborers who were instead forced to pay money for a mineral which
they could easily collect themselves for free (Jack 235). Moreover,
Gandhi's choice met the important criterion of appealing across
regional, class, and ethnic boundaries. Everyone needed salt, and
the British taxes on it had an impact on all of India. Led by an
"inner voice" during this period of strategical uncertainty, Gandhi
used the British Government's monopoly of the salt tax as a
catalyst for a major "Satyagraha" campaign (Copley 46-8). One of
Gandhi's principal concepts, "satyagraha" goes beyond mere "passive
resistance"; by adding the Sanskrit word "Agraha" (resolution) to
"Satya" (Truth). For him, it was crucial that Satyagrahis found
strength in their non-violent methods:
Truth (Satya) implies Love, and Firmness (Agraha) engenders and
therefore serves as a synonym for force ... that is to say, the
Force which is born of Truth and Love or Non-violence.... [If] we
are Satyagrahis and offer Satyagraha, beleveing ourselves to be
strong ... we grow stronger and stronger everyday. With our
increase in strngth, our Stayagraha too becomes more effective, and
we would never be casting about for an opportunity to give it up.
(Gandhi 87)
Choosing the salt tax as an injustice to the people of India was
considered an ingenious choice by critic Judith Brown (1977)
because every peasant and every aristocrat understood the necessity
of salt in everyday life (Copley 46-8). It was also a good choice
because it did not alienate Congress moderates while simultaneously
being an issue of enough importance to mobilize a mass following
(Copley 46-8).
The March
In an effort to amend the salt tax without breaking the law, on
March 2, 1930 Gandhi wrote to the Viceroy, Lord Irwin:
If my letter makes no appeal to your heart, on the eleventh day
of this month I shall proceed with such co-workers of the Ashram as
I can take, to disregard the provisions of the Salt Laws. I regard
this tax to be the most iniquitous of all from the poor man's
standpoint. As the Independence movement is essentially for the
poorest in the land, the beginning will be made with this evil.
On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and approximately 78 male satyagrahis
set out, on foot, for the coastal village of Dandi some 240 miles
from their starting point in Sabarmati, a journey which was to last
23 days (Jack 237). Virtually every resident of each city along
this journey watched the great procession, which was at least two
miles in length (Jack 237). On April 6th he picked up a lump of mud
and salt (some say just a pinch, some say just a grain) and boiled
it in seawater to make the commodity which no Indian could legally
produce--salt (Jack 240).
Upon arriving at the seashore he spoke to a reporter: God be
thanked for what may be termed the happy ending of the first stage
in this, for me at least, the final struggle of freedom. I cannot
withhold my compliments from the government for the policy of
complete non interference adopted by them throughout the march ....
I wish I could believe this non-interference was due to any real
change of heart or policy. The wanton disregard shown by them to
popular feeling in the Legislative Assembly and their high-handed
action leave no room for doubt that the policy of heartless
exploitation of India is to be persisted in at any cost, and so the
only interpretation I can put upon this non-interference is that
the British Government, powerful though it is, is sensitive to
world opinion which will not tolerate repression of extreme
political agitation which civil disobedience undoubtedly is, so
long as disobedience remains civil and therefore necessarily
non-violent .... It remains to be seen whether the Government will
tolerate as they have tolerated the march, the actual breach of the
salt laws by countless people from tomorrow. I expect extensive
popular response to the resolution of the Working Committee (of the
Indian National Congress). (qtd in Jack 238-239)
He implored his thousands of followers to begin to make salt
wherever, along the seashore, "was most convenient and comfortable"
to them. A "war" on the salt tax was to be continued during the
National Week, that is, up to the thirteenth of April. There was
also simultaneous boycotts of cloth and khaddar. Salt was sold,
illegally, all over the seacoast of India. A pinch of salt from
Gandhi himself sold for 1,600 rupees, perhaps $750 dollars at the
time. In reaction to this, the British government had incarcerated
over sixty thousand people at the end of the month (Jack 240-3; all
of last paragraph).
On the night of May, 4 Gandhi was sleeping in a cot under a
mango tree, at a village near Dandi. Several ashramites slept near
him. Soon after midnight the District Magistrate of Surat drove up
with two Indian officers and thirty heavily-armed constables. He
woke Gandhi by shining a torch in his face, and arrested him under
a regulation of 1827.
Aftermath
The effects of the salt march were felt across India. Thousands
of people made salt, or bought illegal salt. This period is to be
considered the apex of Gandhi's political appeal, as the march
mobilized many new follwers from all of Indian society and the
march came to the world's attention. After Gandhi's release from
prison he continued to work towards Indian independence, which was
achieved in August, 1947, but Dandi was a key turning point in that
struggle.
Works Cited
Ashe, Geoffrey. Gandhi: A Study In Revolution. London: Heineman
Ltd., 1968.
Copley, Anthony. Gandhi: Against the Tide. Oxford: Basil
Blackwell Ltd., 1987.
Gandhi, Mohandas K. "Victory in South Africa." in The Essential
Gandhi. Ed. Louis Fischer. New York: Vintage, 1962. 84-111.
Jack, Homer A. The Gandhi Reader: A Source Book of His Life and
Writings. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1956.
Sheean, Vincent. Mahatma Gandhi: A Great Life In Brief. New
York: A. Knopf, Inc., 1955
Image sources:
http://www.nuvs.com/ashram/gallery/index.html
http://www.nuvs.com/ashram/gallery/02.html
Author: Scott Graham, Spring '98.
Links within this site
Postcolonial Studies at Emory
Introduction Authors Theorists Terms & Issues
(Image of an "Homme Carrefour" from Donald J. Cosentino's Sacred
Arts of Haitian Vodou [Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural
History, 1995].)
Re-enactment in 2005
To commemorate the Great Salt March, the Mahatma Gandhi
Foundation proposed a re-enactment on the 75th anniversary. The
event was known as the "International Walk for Peace, Justice and
Freedom." Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi and several
hundred fellow marchers followed the same route to Dandi and
planned to take a similar amount of time to walk it. The start of
the march on March 12, 2005 in Ahmedabad was attended by Sonia
Gandhi (no familial relations), Chairperson of the National
Advisory Council, as well as nearly half of the Indian cabinet,
many of whom walked for the first few kilometres. The commemoration
ended on April 7, with the participants finally halting at Dandi on
the night of April 5.
Background
Tax resistance
Central topics
Civil Disobedience (Thoreau)Conscientious objection to military
taxationHistory of tax resistanceReligious Freedom Peace Tax Fund
ActTax resistance Tax resistersThe Cold War and the Income Tax: A
Protest
Organizations
National Campaign for a Peace Tax FundNational War Tax
Resistance Coordinating CommitteeNorthern California War Tax
ResistancePeacemakersWomen's Tax Resistance League
Campaigns
Beit Sahour Champaran and Kheda SatyagrahaSalt Satyagraha
Related topics
Christian anarchism Civil disobedienceConscientious objection
Direct actionDivestment Economic secessionNonviolent resistance
Peace churchesReligious Society of FriendsTax avoidance and tax
evasionTax protesters Underground economy
edit this box
At midnight on December 31, 1929, the Indian National Congress
unfurled the flag of independence on the banks of Ravi at Lahore.
The Indian National Congress, led by Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru,
issued the Declaration of Independence on January 26, 1930. The
Congress placed the responsibility of initiating civil disobedience
on the All India Congress Committee. This campaign also had to
achieve the secularization of India, uniting Hindus and Muslims.
Mahatma Gandhi was convinced that non-violent civil disobedience
would form the basis for any subsequent protest.
Beginning in February, Mahatma's thoughts swayed towards the
British tax on salt, one of many economic means used to generate
revenue that supported British colonial rule. Gandhi decided to
make the salt tax the focal point of non-violent political protest.
The British monopoly on the salt trade in India dictated that the
sale or production of salt by anyone but the British government was
a criminal offense punishable by law. Salt was readily accessible
to labourers in the coastal area, but they were instead forced to
pay money for a mineral which they could easily collect themselves
for free. Gandhi's choice met the important criterion of appealing
across regional, class, religious, and ethnic boundaries. Everyone
needed salt, and the British taxes on it had an impact on all of
India.
On February 5, newspapers reported that Gandhi would begin civil
disobedience by defying the salt laws.
Led by an inner voice during this period of strategic
uncertainty, Gandhi used the British Government's salt tax as a
catalyst for a major satyagraha campaign.
One of Gandhi's principal concepts, "satyagraha" goes beyond
mere "passive resistance"; by adding the Sanskrit word "Agraha"
(persuasion) to "Satya" (Truth). For him, it was crucial that
Satyagrahis found strength in their non-violent methods:
"Truth (Satya) implies Love, and Firmness (Agraha) engenders and
therefore serves as a synonym for force that is to say, the Force
which is born of Truth and Love or Non-violence [If] we are
Satyagrahis and offer Satyagraha, believing ourselves to be strong
we grow stronger and stronger everyday. With our increase in
strength, our Satyagraha too becomes more effective, and we would
never be casting about for an opportunity to give it up."
--Gandhi
Protesting the salt tax as an injustice to the people of India
was an ingenious choice because every peasant and every aristocrat
understood the necessity of salt in everyday life. It was also a
good choice because it did not alienate Congress moderates while
simultaneously being an issue of enough importance to mobilize a
mass following.
[edit]
The March
In an effort to amend the salt tax without breaking the law, on
March 2, 1930 Gandhi wrote to the Viceroy, Lord Irwin: "If my
letter makes no appeal to your heart, on the eleventh day of this
month I shall proceed with such co-workers of the Ashram as I can
take, to disregard the provisions of the Salt Laws. I regard this
tax to be the most iniquitous of all from the poor man's
standpoint. As the Independence movement is essentially for the
poorest in the land, the beginning will be made with this
evil."
Gandhi on the Salt March
On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and approximately 78 male satyagrahis
set out, on foot, for the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, some
240 miles from their starting point in Sabarmati, a journey which
was to last 23 days. Virtually every resident of each city along
this journey watched the great procession, which was at least two
hundred miles in length. On April 6th, Gandhi raised a lump of mud
and salt (some say just a pinch, some say just a grain) and
declared, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British
Empire." He then boiled it in seawater to make the commodity which
no Indian could legally producesalt.
Upon arriving at the seashore he spoke to a reporter: "God be
thanked for what may be termed the happy ending of the first stage
in this, for me at least, the final struggle of freedom. I cannot
withhold my compliments from the government for the policy of
complete non interference adopted by them throughout the march ....
I wish I could believe this non-interference was due to any real
change of heart or policy. The wanton disregard shown by them to
popular feeling in the Legislative Assembly and their high-handed
action leave no room for doubt that the policy of heartless
exploitation of India is to be persisted in at any cost, and so the
only interpretation I can put upon this non-interference is that
the British Government, powerful though it is, is sensitive to
world opinion which will not tolerate repression of extreme
political agitation which civil disobedience undoubtedly is, so
long as disobedience remains civil and therefore necessarily
non-violent .... It remains to be seen whether the Government will
tolerate as they have tolerated the march, the actual breach of the
salt laws by countless people from tomorrow. I expect extensive
popular response to the resolution of the Working Committee (of the
Indian National Congress)."
Mahatma Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu during the March
He implored his thousands of followers to begin to make salt
wherever, along the seashore, "was most convenient and comfortable"
to them. A "war" on the salt tax was to be continued during the
National Week, that is, up to the thirteenth of April. There was
also a simultaneous boycott of British made cloth/goods. Salt was
sold, "illegally", all over the seacoast of India. A pinch of salt
from Gandhi himself sold for 1,600 rupees, perhaps $750 dollars at
the time. In reaction to this, the British government had
incarcerated over sixty thousand people at the end of the
month.
In Peshawar the satyagraha was led by a Muslim Pashto disciple
of Gandhi's, Ghaffar Khan. Ghaffar Khan had trained an army of
non-violent activists, called Khudai Khitmatgar. On April 23, 1930,
Ghaffar Khan was arrested. A crowd of Khudai Khitmatgar gathered in
Peshawar's Kissa Khani [Storytellers] Bazaar. The British opened
fire on the unarmed crowd and shot hundreds of Khudai Khitmatgar
and other demonstrators. One British Indian Army regiment refused
to fire at the crowds. According to some accounts, the crowd acted
in accord with their training in non-violence. As people in the
front fell, those behind came forward to expose themselves to the
firing. The shooting continued from 11 AM until 5 PM.
On the night of May 4th, Gandhi was sleeping in a cot under a
mango tree, at a village near Dandi. Several ashramites slept near
him. Soon after midnight the District Magistrate of Surat drove up
with two Indian officers and thirty heavily-armed constables. He
woke Gandhi by shining a torch in his face, and arrested him under
a regulation of 1827.
[edit]
Aftermath
Gandhi at a public rally during the Salt Satyagraha.
The effects of the salt march were felt across India. Thousands
of people made salt, or bought illegal salt. As the march mobilized
many new followers from all of Indian society, it came to the
world's attention. Thus, tens of thousands of Indians were arrested
for buying and selling salt illegally; however, the Viceroy ordered
his troops to arrest Gandhi last. After Gandhi's release from
prison, he continued to work towards Indian independence, which was
achieved in August, 1947. Dandi was a key turning point in that
struggle.
Biographies of Peacemakers
Here you find links to websites for a selected collection of
'Peacemakers.' This biography page is a companion section to the
Peacemakers project at eduScapes 42explore. There you can find
hundreds of other 42explore projects . . . or you can go directly
to the Topic Index or Subject Index.
Index of Peacemaker Biographies
Heroines of Peace: The Nine Nobel Women from Nobel eMuseum
http://www.nobel.se/peace/articles/heroines/index.html#anchor37685
Here you find biographies of the nine women who have been
awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
Other Peacemaker Index Sites:
2) Learn About the Nobel Peace Laureates from PeaceJam
http://peacejam.org:8001/peacejam/laureates.shtml
3) Peace Heroes from Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
http://www.wagingpeace.org/hero/index2.html
4) Peacemakers from My Hero
http://www.myhero.com/peacemakers/peacemakers_content.asp
Biographies of Peacemakers
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
http://www.uic.edu/jaddams/hull/hull_house.html
The Museum, owned and operated by the University of Illinois at
Chicago, is a historic site and memorial to Jane Addams, her
innovative settlement house programs and associates, and the
neighborhood they served.
Related Websites:
2) Introduction to an Exhibit of Photographs of Jane Addams, Her
Family, and Hull-House
http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/peace/Exhibits/jane.addams/addams.index.htm
3) Jane Addams
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAaddams.htm
4) Jane Addams from Women in History
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/adda-jan.htm
5) Jane Addams Biography from The Nobel Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1931/addams-bio.html
Emily Greene Balch: The First Quaker Nobel Peace Prize Winner by
I. Abrams
http://www.irwinabrams.com/articles/balch.html
This essay on the third woman to win a Nobel Peace Price
appeared in the December
1996 issue of Friends Journal.
Other Websites for Emily Greene Balch:
2) Emily Greene Balch Biography from Nobel eMuseum
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1946/balch-bio.html
3) Emily Green Balch: Peacemaker Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=emilybalch
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, National
Archives and Records Administration
http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/
This website has information about Jimmy Carter, his presidency,
and career.
Other Carter Websites:
2) Biography of James Earl Carter (1924 -) from The American
Revolution
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/jc39/about/jecbio.htm
3) James Earl Carter, Jr. from Infoplease
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0760623.html
4) James Earl Carter, Jr. from POTUS
http://www.ipl.org/ref/POTUS/jecarter.html
5) James Earl Carter: Peacemaker Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=j_carter
6) Jimmy Carter
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jc39.html
His Holiness The Dalai Lama from the The Government of Tibet in
Exile
http://www.tibet.com/DL/
This is a great site to begin research on the life and work of
the Dalai Lama.
Other Links for the Dalai Lama:
2) 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) Biography from The Nobel
Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1989/lama-bio.html
3) Dalai Lama and His Government in Exile by J.R. Stanmeyer
http://www.s2f.com/stanmeyer/dalai/dalai.html
4) Dalai Lama on China, Hatred, and Optimism with R. Thurman for
Mother Jones
http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/ND97/thurman.html
5) His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet
http://hhdl.dharmakara.net/
6) His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
http://www.dalailama.com/
7) His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet from TibetNet
http://www.tibet.net/eng/hhdl/
8) Dalai Lama: Winner of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1989a.html
9) Private Dalai Lama by R. Gluckman
http://www.gluckman.com/DalaiLama.html
10) Tenzin Gyatso: The 14th Dalai Lama from Lucid
Interactive
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jul/dalailama.html
Nickole's Home Page
http://www.y2kyouth.org/nickole/
'How one person can make a difference!'
Related Websites:
2) Nickole Evans: Peacemaker Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=NickoleEvans
3) Nickole Evans
http://www.youthlink.org/us/council_members.php#nickole_evans
4) Nickole Evans at Your True Hero
http://www.yourtruehero.org/content/hero/view_hero.asp?14169
Adolfo Prez Esquivel from The Nobel Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1980/esquivel-bio.html
Learn about the Argentine advocate for peace.
Other Websites on Adolfo Prez Esquivel:
2) Curriculum for PeaceJam with Adolfo Prez Esquivel
http://peacejam.org:8001/peacejam/adolfo/
3) Opening the Doors of Hope in the New Millennium by A.P.
Esquivel at Letters to
Future Generations
http://www.unesco.org/opi2/lettres/TextAnglais/PEsquivelE.html
4) Presentation by Adolfo Prez Esquivel, June 5, 1998
http://www.afsc.org/cuba/esquivle.htm
Official Mahatma Gandhi eArchieve
http://www.mahatma.org.in/
This website contains writings, biography, and an
autobiography.
Some Other Gandhi Websites:
2) Mahatma Gandhi: Freedom Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=gandhi_ul
3) Mahatma Gandhi: His Life, Work, and Philosophy
http://www.mkgandhi.org/
4) Mahatma Gandhi: Indian Spiritual/Political Leader and
Humanitarian from Lucid
Interactive
http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/library/95oct/mkgandhi.html
5) Mahtma Gandhi: Peacemaker Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=gandhi
6) The Man - The Mahatma (Silver Award, 1999 ThinkQuest Internet
Challenge)
http://library.thinkquest.org/26523/main.htm
7) Sacred Warrior by N. Mandela from Time
http://www.time.com/time/time100/poc/magazine/the_sacred_warrior13a.html
King Center
http://www.thekingcenter.org/
The Center is dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of Americas greatest nonviolent
movement for justice, equality and peace.
Other Websites for Dr. King:
2) Martin Luther King from eduScapes 42eXplore
http://eduscapes.com/42explore/king.htm
3) Martin Luther King, Jr. from The Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/
4) Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project from Stanford
University http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/
5) Martin Luther King, Jr.: Peacemaker Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=ml_king2
Ron Kovic
http://www.heroism.org/class/1970/kovic.html
Learn about the Vietnam veteran whose life was featured in the
movie 'Born on the 4th of July.'
Other Websites About Ron Kovic:
2) Behind Colin Powell's Legend: A Warning by R. Parry & N.
Solomon
http://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/colin1.html
3) Heroism, the Vietnam War, and the Legacy of Peace by F. Shor,
Amber Waves of
Green http://awog.editthispage.com/stories/storyReader$32
4) Ron Kovic: Peacemaker Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=kovic
5) Sgt. Ron Kovic from Military Advantage, Inc.
http://www.military.com/Content/MoreContent?file=ML_kovic_bkp
Peacemaker: Miread Corrigan Maguire from UlsterLink
http://www.ulsterlink.com/article1014.html
Miread Corrigan Maguire is a recipient of the Nuclear Age Peace
Foundation's Distinguished Peace leadership Award, as well as a
Nobel Prize for Peace.
Related Websites:
2) Curriculum for PeaceJam with Miread Corrigan Maguire
http://peacejam.org:8001/peacejam/maguire/index.html
3) Miread Corrigan Maguire by J. Dear from the Nuclear Age Peace
Foundation
http://www.wagingpeace.org/hero/mairead_corrigan_maguire.html
4) Miread Corrigan Maguire by J. Dear from The Peace People
http://www.peacepeople.com/MaireadByJohnDear.htm
5) Review of The Vision of Peace by Miread Corrigan Maguire by
F.P. Brinkman
http://www.peacecouncil.org/rpc2sp99.html#anchor795747
Mandela Page from the African National Congress
http://www.anc.org.za/people/mandela/
Here you find a large collection of Mandela resources.
Other Websites on Nelson Mandela:
2) Facts On Nelson Mandela
http://www.facts.com/cd/b94314.htm
3) Long Walk to Freedom
http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/Mandela/Mandela.html
4) Long Walk of Nelson Mandela from PBS Frontline
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/
5) Nelson Mandela from Time
http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/mandela.html
6) Nelson Mandela: Freedom Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=nelsonMandela
7) Nelson Mandela: Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1993a.html
8) Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
http://www.anc.org.za/people/mandela.html
Rigoberta Mench Tum from The Nobel Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1992/tum-bio.html
Over the years, Rigoberta Mench has become widely known as a
leading advocate of Indian rights and ethno-cultural
reconciliation, not only in Guatemala but in the Western Hemisphere
generally, and her work has earned her several international
awards.
Other Websites for Rigoberta Mench:
2) Interview with Rigoberta Mench Tum from Global Vision
http://www.global-vision.org/interview/menchu.html
3) Interview with Rigoberta Mench Tum by D. Engle & I.
Suvanjieff
http://peacejam.org:8001/peacejam/tum/interview.html
4) Rigoberta Mench Tum
http://peacejam.org:8001/peacejam/tum/tum.html
5) Rigoberta Mench Tum: Peacemaker Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=r_menchu
6) Rigoberta Mench Tum Foundation (En Espaol)
http://www.rigobertamenchu.org/
7) Rigoberta Mench Tum, Quiche Mayan
http://www.indigenouspeople.org/natlit/menchu.htm
Yitzhak Rabin from Jewish Virtual Library
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/rabin.html
Here you find a biography of the Israeli leader.
Other Websites for Yitzhak Rabin:
2) Assassination and Funeral of Yitzhak Rabin from CNN
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9511/rabin/umbrella/
3) Yitzhak Rabin Biography from The Nobel Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1994/rabin-bio.html
4) Yitzhak Rabin: Peacemaker Hero
http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=Rabin
5) Yitzhak Rabin: Winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1994c.html
6) World Mourns the Loss of a Leader for Peace from Nando Times
http://archive.nandotimes.com/newsroom/nt/morerabin.html
Jose Ramos-Horta from PBS Online Newshour
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/october96/nobel_prize_10-25.html
At this site, the exiled East Timorese resistance leader and
1996 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, responds to viewer questions and
comments.
Related Websites:
2) East Timor - Path to Peace
http://www.caa.org.au/horizons/h20/horta.html
3) Jose Ramos-Horta: Winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1996b.html
4) Profile: Jose Ramos Horta from Australian Broadcasting
Corporation
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/etimor/features/horta.htm
5) Profile: Timor's Exiled Leader by J. Havely from BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/special_report/1999/05/99/east_timor/newsid_378000/378959.stm
Oscar Arias Sanchez from The Nobel Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1987/arias-bio.html
Read the biography of the former President of Costa Rica, who
orchestrated the peace process in the nations of Central
America.
Related Websites:
2) Dr. Oscar Arias Sanchez
http://www.arias.or.cr/fundador/bio-e.htm
3) Oscar Arias http://www.incostarica.net/docs/arias/
4) Oscar Arias Sanchez from Latin America Trek
http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/latinamerica/oscar/oscarbio.html
5) Oscar Arias Sanchez: Winner of the 1987 Nobel Prize in
Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1987a.html
6) President Oscar Arias Sanchez from PeaceJam
http://peacejam.org:8001/peacejam/html/oscar.html
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
http://www.dassk.com/
This is the website of the leader of the nonviolent movement for
human rights and democracy in Burma (Myanmar), and Nobel
laureate.
Related Websites:
2) Aung San Suu Kyi Biography from The Nobel Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1991/kyi-bio.html
3) Aung San Suu Kyi: Winner of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1991a.html
4) Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma by I. Abrams
http://www.irwinabrams.com/books/excerpts/annual91.html
5) Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi from BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_140000/140955.stm
6) 'You Could Start by Convincing a Friend', Interview from the
Shambala Sun
http://danenet.wicip.org/fbc/assksun.html
International Albert Schweitzer Foundation
http://www.schweitzer.org/
This site focuses on the life and work of Dr. Albert Schweitzer,
the humanitarian, theologian, missionary, organist, and medical
doctor.
Additional Websites for Albert Schweitzer:
2) Albert Schweitzer Page http://www.pcisys.net/~jnf/
3) Albert Schweitzer: Philosopher, Physician & Humanitarian
1875 - 1965 from Lucid
Interactive
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jan/schweitzer.html
4) Albert Schweitzer: Winner of the 1952 Nobel Prize in
Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1952a.html
5) Albert Schweitzer Biography from The Nobel Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1952/schweitzer-bio.html
6) Animals, Nature and Albert Schweitzer
http://www.awionline.org/schweitzer/as-idx.htm
Looking Back: Samantha Smith, the Girl Who Went to the Soviet
Union
http://wwwsmi.lkwash.wednet.edu/Samantha_Smith.htm
Think that one person cannot have an impact? This website is
dedicated to Samanthas memory and her message of peace to the
world.
Additional Websites for Samantha Smith:
2) Samantha Smith by K.L. Demarest Mayer at Nuclear Age Peace
Foundation
http://www.wagingpeace.org/hero/samantha_smith.html
3) Samantha Smith by by M. Bush from Can Do! People
http://www.ucando.org/ssmith.html
4) Samantha Smith: America's Youngest Ambassador at Suite
101
http://suite101.com/article.cfm/history_for_children/17086
5) Samantha Smith Story from The Eighties Club
http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id107.htm
Mother Teresa
http://www.tisv.be/mt/indmt.htm
The website is on the life and work of Mother Theresa:
Other Websites for Mother Theresa:
2) Interview with Mother Teresa by E.W. Desmond for Time
http://www.servelec.net/mothertheresa.htm
3) Mother Teresa
http://www.albanian.com/main/culture/famous/teresa.html
4) Mother Teresa 1910 - 1997
http://www.catholic.net/RCC/People/MotherTeresa/mother.html
5) Mother Teresa, Missionaries of Charity, Order of Mother
Theresa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2960/mothert.htm
6) Mother Teresa: Winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1979a.html
Desmond Tutu from The Nobel Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1984/tutu-bio.html
This is the biography for 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, then
Bishop Desmond Tutu and General Secretary of the South African
Council of Churches.
Other Websites for Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
2) Archbishop Desmond Tutu, October 6, 1999 from PBS Online
Newshour
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/july-dec99/tutu_10-6.html
3) Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu
http://sunsite.wits.ac.za/histp/tutu.htm
4) Curriculum for PeaceJam with Archbishop Desmond Tutu
http://peacejam.org:8001/peacejam/tutu/
5) Desmond Tutu by M. Landis at Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
http://www.wagingpeace.org/hero/desmond_tutu.html
6) Desmond Mpilo Tutu: Winner of the 1984 Nobel Prize in
Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1984a.html
7) Profile of Archbishop Desmond Tutu from BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_142000/142334.stm
Bertha Felicie Sophie von Suttner Biography from The Nobel
Foundation
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1905/suttner-bio.html
This is the site of a biography of the 1905 Nobel Prize
winner.
Related Websites:
2) Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicity von Suttner
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1905a.html
3) Baroness Bertha Felicie Sophie von Suttner
http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/whm2001/suttner.html
4) Bertha Felicie Sophie von Suttner
http://sunsite.bilkent.edu.tr/oldnobel/laureates/peace-1905-bio.html
Curriculum for PeaceJam with Betty Williams
http://peacejam.org:8001/peacejam/betty/
This website summarizes the youth workshop held with Nobel
Laureate, Betty Williams.
Related Websites:
2) Betty Williams: Winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1976a.html
3) Betty Williams
http://www.acs-england.co.uk/peaceprize/betty_williams.html
4) Nobel Lecture by Betty Williams
http://gos.sbc.edu/w/bwilliams.html
Jody Williams - International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)
Ambassador
http://www.icbl.org/amb/williams/
This is the website for the Nobel Laureate and her work toward
banning land mines.
Related Websites:
2) Curriculum for PeaceJam with Jody Williams
http://peacejam.org:8001/peacejam/jody/
3) Interview with Jody Williams, February 4, 1999
http://www.cdi.org/adm/1226/williams.html
4) Jody Williams: Winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Peace
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/1997b.html
5) Jody Williams: The Woman Who Waged War on Land Mines from
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1997/nobel.prize/stories/williams.profile/
6) Nobel Lecture by Jody Williams from The Nobel Foundation
http://boes.org/coop/lmines/jodyw1.html and
http://gos.sbc.edu/w/williams.html
Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 2/02.
Are we peace lovers or peace makers?
from SojoMail Thursday 3rd October 2002The following is a speech
delivered by Anglican Bishop Peter Price at an anti-war rally in
London on Saturday, Sept. 28: I am frightened we are hurtling
towards a war that will have unseen and unforeseeable consequences.
For we will not only fight a wicked regime but enter a war that
could devastate and destroy our friends. My mind goes back to a
visit to Iraq in 1999. I was invited with others, including the
Bishop of Coventry, to a lunch with a Christian family. At his
table our host welcomed us, our Iraqi minders, secret police, and
drivers. He took a large unleavened bread and broke it, sharing it
with us and saying in Arabic: "Under God, we are all one, as we
share this bread."
Before the meal ended he beckoned me for a quiet word in his
garden, telling me in a few hastily grabbed moments what life was
like. It was not good: His action that lunchtime put him and his
family in danger. "I am making this garden for peace," he said. "It
is on the site of a bomb crater. Come and sit down with me under
this fig tree."
In that moment I reflected on the vision of the prophet Micah.
"Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, or ever again be
trained to make war. But each one will sit down under his own vine
and fig tree with no one to trouble him." Today I wonder what will
happen to such people, to one who practices "loving his enemy" if
war comes.
This march today represents people of all faiths and none. We
represent people who believe war can at times be justified, and
those who believe that war is always wrong. What unites us is a
sense that preparations for war that could begin with a unilateral,
pre-emptive strike is illegal, immoral, and unwise.
Let there be no mistake. We regard Saddam and his regime as a
real threat to his own people, neighbouring countries, and to the
world. Saddam must end the repression of his people, abandon his
efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction, and respect the
legitimate role of the U.N. as it ensures that he does so. But our
nations must pursue these goals in a manner consistent with moral
principles, international law, and political wisdom.
We must be guided by the vision of a world in which nations stop
seeking to resolve their problems by making war. Within the
traditions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity there is teaching
that obliges governments and citizens to work for the avoidance of
war.
Today we are demonstrating for peace. But are we peace lovers,
or peacemakers? We must not only demand of governments that they
work for peace, but that we as citizens so change our attitudes
that peacemaking becomes as natural as breathing. Demonstrations
rarely change things immediately. What changes things is when
people find in their heart a new resolve, a new courage to shape
the world differently. War may come. The question is what will we
do then? Do we simply shrug our shoulders and walk away, saying "We
demonstrated in Hyde Park, but it failed?"
As a Christian, I follow Jesus of Nazareth who said, "Blessed
are the peace makers"; not peace lovers. We all love the idea of
peace. Today we are demonstrating for a new kind of world, but it
will not come unless we work for it. We cannot be peacemakers only
when war threatens.
True peacemaking is demanding. It demands new attitudes from
governments and citizens; it demands we open our eyes to see all
humanity as one and equal; it demands we recognize that a bomb
dropped on an Iraqi, Palestinian, or Jew is as a bomb dropped on
any of us; peacemaking demands no more unilateral actions by
powerful nations; peacemaking demands the dismantling of all
weapons of mass destruction.
To build lasting peace we need new international, political,
judicial, and financial institutions; the ending of international
debt. Peacemaking requires a revitalized United Nations; equality
before international law; the ending of discrimination over the
application of U.N. resolutions. Peacemaking demands we find common
ground by moving to higher ground, rising above old arguments over
just war and pacifism.
Today we give a simple message. Stop the war. Contain and disarm
Saddam. But building world peace does not happen with slogans or
rallies, but through citizens and governments that: Pray peace;
think peace; speak peace; and act peace.
Jesus of Nazareth was the greatest peace activist of all, and he
said "Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the
children of God."
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Seeking the Next Generation of Peace Makers May 2006