Michael True on non-violence

Michael True was at the UU Church in Portsmouth on Tuesday December 2 to talk about the history of non-violence around the world. The presentation included a 45 minute slide show depicting events from China to Brazil to the US where people are using non-violent tactics to resist government abuses and oppression.
True, a Professor Emeritus at Assumption College, recalled a number of people who have been leaders in the use of and writing about non-violence including Ghandi in India, Aung Sung Suu Kyi in Rangoon (Burma), Tolstoy, and Aidan Ballou. He termed the peace work actions of Seacoast Peace Response, the sponsor of the event, a sign of hope. He also named the peace activist, Arundhati Roy, of India, the greatest pamphleteer since Thomas Paine.
He defined non-violence as "a means, a method, a strategy for resisting injustice or humiliation and resolving conflict and bringing about social changes without killing."
During his talk Professor True noted that smaller non-violent movements had profound effects and spread to other countries, including the Greenham Common Women's Movement in England, the Solidarity Movement in Poland, and the overthrow of Marcos in the Philippines, which he called a "stunning victory" for non-violence.
In discussing the many places he has visited and teached at, he included Nanjing in China where, during the Tienaman Square Democratic Uprising in 1989, he was impressed by the number of students who initiated action and took part in the events which involved over 300 cities in the country. He also pointed out how the students went into factories and communicated with the workers, whom they won over. He noted that there really was no history of non-violence or this type of action in China.
Professor True touched on movements in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico where there is an emerging Myan activism. And he brought it back home in talking about the million person march in New York, the work of the Plowshares, and the effort to close the School of The Americas in Georgia, where foreign military personnel are trained in assassination and torture methods.
The well traveled professor made note that when we are working for peace we are connected to every other community in the world that is working for peace.
The attentive crowd of thirty or so people had many questions for Professor True after the presentation including using alternatives to the term "non-violence" such as "non-injurious force", "conflict transformation", and others.
He finished by stressing that peace is something that has to be built. He said of vigiling "public witness is very important". And he also pointed out that it is very important to listen to what other people are saying even if we think their remarks are ignorant.

Story and pictures by Paul Pat Morse

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