Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred….(we must) continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive” (122). This attitude of Ahimsa, taken on by the some of the greatest leader’s to ever to walk this Earth, seems to be a driving force behind some of the most monumental milestones throughout history.
While Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi, all came close to perfecting the methods of Ahimsa, its ways remain a challenge to the common man such as me. Though I understand its basic concepts, the challenge lies in actually putting these principles into practice. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “If a man beats you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If a man takes away your coat, give him your shirt also” (16).
Being a Christian, I try to live my life by these words of Christ, but it is definitely not easy. While I know that hating others and becoming angry about certain circumstances definitely does not qualify as Ahimsa or the way of God, I personally struggle daily with these issues. My goal in life is to help transform others into the people they are meant to become and help provide them with insight into a better life, but I realize that this dream cannot become a reality unless I take a stronger grasp onto the notions that these famous leaders so fearlessly lived their lives by. The only way that I will be able to live my life the way I want to live it is to convert any disdain I feel towards others into selfless love that will hopefully spark interest in the individual that observes it. Les Miserbales, 1978
In Les Miserables, the Bishop of Digne allows Jean Valjean to stay with him after he has been released from jail and condemned by the rest of society. One night when the bishop is sleeping, Valjean decides to repay the Bishop’s favor by stealing all of his silver and running away. When the police catch Valjean and bring him back to the home of the Bishop, the Bishop lies to the police saying that he gave the silver to Valjean and ultimately saves him from a life of imprisonment. After the Bishop saves and forgives Valjean for stealing, he gives Valjean the silver candlesticks on the mantel along with everything else he had previously stolen. The Bishop’s last words to Valjean are, "But remember this, my brother. See in this some higher plan. You must use this precious silver to become an honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the Passion and the Blood, God has raised you out of darkness, I have bought your soul for God!" (Les Miserables).
The Bishop’s words of forgiveness and hope challenge Valjean to start anew, and he does, changing his life forever. The affect that the Bishop instantly has on Valjean’s life is the kind of effect that I wish to have on the lives of others. To do so, I must practice solidarity and alter my entire being into existing in pursuit of others. Gandhi once said that “my life is a message,” and by existing as a living beacon of Ahimsa and the love of Jesus Christ, I just might be able to spread this enduring message of compassion, and transform the world for the better.(Gandhi 119).
A Peacemaker's Enlightenment
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