Non-violence in Lebanon requires commitment to peace

Up until now, I have refrained from commenting on the most reported story that has dominated the news in the last few weeks -- the escalation of tensions between Israel and Lebanon.

While I have opinions (we all do!) I have, thus far, refrained from commenting because of a strong commitment not to inject yet another opinion in an already over-analysed, highly-reported situation.

I've also kept silent because I find that my perspective is often unpopular and (dare I say it) not sexy enough.

Peaceful solutions are seldom given press UNLESS they ride the coat-tails of blood and mayhem. Too bad, as it is peace that we all profess to be working towards.

Hence, my silence. Hence, my lack of silence today. Rather than pointing fingers (Israel should....Lebanon should....and so on and so on) I would rather focus on what I consider to be the bigger issue -- the need for a long-term solution that does not place its foundation in our human conceptions of division (including culture, race, history and religion).

Don't get me wrong. I admire those that speak out and those that are diligent enough to explore and determine the nitty-gritty of this current violent confrontation and how it exists in the larger context of the Israel-Palestine situation. However, even their analysis is restricted to their limited human perspective. And, as Einstein once said: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

This "kind of thinking" is the creation and support of man-made divisions. The reality is (as science has proven) we are all created equal -- atoms, electrons, protons, neutrons, all swirl within our fabricated bodies and all create the perceptual belief that we exist as individual entities. The fact is, though, we truly are all created with the same matter, the same substance. As such our man-made divisions only serve to reinforce the illusion that we are different, separate, somehow distinct and isolated. Religion and spirituality has deplored this idea for centuries. Science has finally caught up. Humankind, however, is still far off from that truth.

As such, my comments regarding the current Lebanon and Israel situation has little to do with the "he said, she said" routine that continues to plague this conflict, but rather with the conviction that a true and lasting peace can only come from a commitment to solve this problem with a different approach.

Yes, the bombs must stop. Yes, the terrorism must stop. But so must the idea that one's definition of race, religion, culture or nation is more important than the truth that we are all equal. To condemn a nation or state for defensive or offensive acts does not promote an opportunity for reconciliation or peace. Rather it promotes defensive mechanisms, which reinforces the need to rely upon our human-constructions of division. Instead, we must distinguish those acts that must stop without prejudice or jugdement. It is much easier to stop a behaviour if one is not condemned to persecution. If you don't believe me, than examine those processes that focus on condemnation, versus those processes that focus on community building -- for example, there are alarmingly high recitivism rates for convicted criminals in North America (where a judicial system focuses on punishment and stigma) compared to low recitivism rates of Native justice processes (a system that focuses on community healing and building). There are many other examples.

If our true aim is peace then we must align ourselves along this principle and give up the easier, softer way of defining and criticizing based on constructed divisions. Instead, we must focus on those actions and plans that enable us to surpass our limited human perspective and provide an opportunity to build true community. Non-violence, in all its forms, requires a commitment to the whole, and the fact is it takes far more courage to stand up for a principle than to criticize an action.

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time someone stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, they send forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." - Robert Kennedy

For more information on the definition of non-violence go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolence
For more information on international non-violence actions go to:
http://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/
For more information on Lebanon and Israel -- open a newspaper.