MU be faithful to the Gospel,
Stop Hosting Military Training

Tonight after a panel discussion at Marquette University on War, Peace and People of Faith, I felt like a chipmunk backed up to the corner of a yard with no way to escape. I was hectic and hyper, like a weed growing wildly in the garden out of control. I really have not felt this way for a number of years, since I left the Ignatian Associates, the group of laypersons who are close to the Jesuit community. In fact some of the Jesuits and people present tonight where people that I had close ties with in the past. They were, at the time, my friends. With my new friends, like people in the MUPeace Group or in DMZ or MAGV, I feel relaxed and at home with them, and accepted as who I am. With these old friends, I felt nervous. Looking back at why I felt this way tonight, I think it is because with this group, whom I deeply respect and have similar backgrounds with, I get impatient and upset easily. How can persons, formed as I was, in the Ignatian or Jesuit spirituality, not see the Iraq war as the evil it is and how can they, via the Jesuit University, not only support the war effort but actually participate in it with the Departments of military science? My new friends, as I call those I have become close with since my retirement, be they rich or poor, black or white, do not make me feel so defensive and, perhaps, not knowing me well in the past, have not stigmatized me as much. I feel I can be myself like a new plant in a new garden, free to be.

I need to do more growing power stuff tomorrow and the next few days to take the edge off of tonight. Working with worms and plants, like with my friends of the last few years, all seems natural and down to earth. With some friends from the past all seems to be so intellectual and in the head. I guess I am not a headman by nature but a worm man, as some have said, after all. God bless everyone, old and new friends, especially our enemies and those who die daily due to violence. Violence is deeply rooted in all of us and like my violent reactions of mind and words tonight, needs to be washed away with the sweet waters of silence. On the Creative Nonviolence and Ignatian Spirituality page of the nonviolentworm.org you will find this definition by Judith Brown in her book on Gandhi that defines Satyagraha or creative nonviolence as “striving nonviolently to the point of sacrifice rather than fighting to attain one’s vision of truth.” Violently seeking nonviolence is not too cool.

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