T H E N O R T H C O A S T T I M E S E A G L E , F R ID A Y , 16 S E P T E M B E R 1983
Page 2
WAR & PEACE
FATH ER B E R R IG A N S P E A K S OF PEAC E
Reflections upon inner meanings
by B e n L a n e
The m an:
It w a s a b e a u t i f u l e a r l y e v e n i n g w ith j u s t th e
b a r e s t h i n t o f a u t u m n in t h e a i r a s I m a d e m y
w a y s lo w ly a lo n g o n e o f S t o c k h o l m 's b r o a d
a v e n u e s to h e a r F a t h e r D a n i e l B e r r i g a n s p e a k .
B e r r i g a n ? I s n 't h e t h e r a g i n g f i r e b r a n d , a
m e n a c e to th e E s t a b l i s h m e n t ? A r a d i c a l a b o u t
to m a n th e b a r r i c a d e s ? D i d n 't h e go to j a i l f o r
d e s tr o y in g h o ly g o v e r n m e n t p r o p e r t y s u c h a s
d r a f t file s a n d n u c le a r m i s s i l e s ?
It w a s h a r d to go i n d o o r s o n s u c h a l o v e l y
e v e n i n g , b u t I h o p e d to p e r h a p s s e e s o m e p e a c e
w o r k e r s , s o I a r r i v e d e a r l y . T h e m e e tin g r o o m ,
s e a tin g p e r h a p s th r e e h u n d r e d , w a s e m p ty e x c e p t
f o r s o m e y o u n g p e o p le p r a c t i c i n g s p i r i t u a l s
w ith t h e i r e l e c t r i c g u i t a r s . I w a n d e r e d i n t o a
c a f e t e r i a — e m p t y e x c e p t f o r a c o u p le o f n e a t
S w e d i s h w o m e n w o r k e r s h a v in g a c o f f e e b r e a k .
A c h u r c h d i g n i t a r y c a m e in w ith F a t h e r B e r r i ­
g a n . I r e c o g n i z e d h i m i n s t a n t l y . H is e s c o r t
e x c u s e d h im s e lf a n d le ft on s o m e e r r a n d . I w as
o v e r j o y e d a t th e ( l i t e r a l l y , I t h i n k ) h e a v e n - s e n t
o p p o rtu n ity , w e n t o v e r a n d in tr o d u c e d m y s e lf.
So t h i s w a s th e d a n g e r o u s f i r e b r a n d . H is
w h ite h a i r , h is g e n tle m a n n e r a n d s p a r k lin g
I r is h h u m o r, h is lo w - v o ic e d o p tim is m , a n d
a b o v e a ll h is o b v io u s h u m ility r e a c h e d m e
d e e p ly an d in s ta n tly .
I h a v e h a d a r a r e p r iv ile g e of m e e tin g th r e e
o f th e t r u l y g r e a t p e o p l e o f t h i s w o r l d , p e o p le
w h o h a v e s o m e h o w c u t th ro u g h th e c o n fu s e d
p o litic a l, r e lig io u s and s p ir itu a l m ilie u of o u r
t i m e s to th e f u n d a m e n t a l s . T h e f i r s t w a s B i l l W .,
a c o fo u n d e r o f A lc o h o lic A n o n y m o u s , a w o r l d ­
w id e s p i r i t u a l f e l l o w s h i p t h a t h a s h e l p e d m i l ­
lio n s r e c o v e r f ro m a lc o h o lis m , a n d w h o se
tw e lv e s te p s a r e s u c h a p e r f e c t f o r m u la fo r
s p i r i t u a l r e g e n e r a t i o n t h a t t h e y a r e u s e d in
c o u n tle s s o th e r r e c o v e r y p r o g r a m s . T he s e c ­
o n d w a s th e L a m a G o v in d a , w i t h w h o m I h a d th e
u n iq u e e x p e r ie n c e o f m a k in g a t r a n s - P a c if ic
c r o s s i n g ( o n th e o ld " J a v a M a i l " ) . S i tt in g o u t
o n d e c k t a l k i n g o f m a n y t h i n g s w ith h i m a n d
h i s w i f e , n i g h t a f t e r n i g h t , w a t c h i n g th e s t a r s .
H e s p o k e o f m u c h : th e e f f o r t s to s a v e T i b e t a n
a r t t r e a s u r e s in th e B u d d h i s t t e m p l e s o f T i b e t
f r o m th e C h i n e s e c o m m u n i s t s ; th e " m i d d l e
w a y " ; a n d m u c h m o r e . I w as c o n v in c e d th a t I
w a s in th e c o m p a n y o f o n e w h o w a s t r u l y in
t o u c h w ith th e u n i v e r s e . A n d n o w F a t h e r B e r r i -
g a n , A m e r i c a 's G a n d h i. A ll t h r e e h a v e o n e o u t ­
s t a n d i n g c h a r a c t e r i s t i c : t h e i r g e n u in e a n d d e e p
h u m i l i t y , w h ic h i s t h e i r s t r e n g t h .
D u rin g th e e ig h te e n y e a r s D a n ie l B e r r i g a n ,
w ith h is b r o th e r P h ilip a n d t h e i r f r i e n d s , h a s
b e e n a g i t a t i n g in o r d e r to a w a k e n th e p e o p le ,
he h a s b e e n a r r e s te d " so m an y tim e s I have
lo s t c o u n t." J u s t now h e is f r e e "o n b a il h ig h e r
t h a n t h a t f o r a m a s s - m u r d e r e r ." H e l a u g h s :
" T h a t sh o w s how d a n g e ro u s I a m . O r p e rh a p s ,
h o w c h e a p ly m a s s - m u r d e r e r s a r e h e ld th e s e
d a y s ."
It a l s o s h o w s h o w m u c h m o r e p o w e r o n e
f i n d s in n o n v i o l e n t r e s i s t a n c e , a n d h o w t h r e a t ­
e n e d a u th o r itie s fe e l th e m s e lv e s . G andhi
b r o u g h t th e m i g h t y B r i t i s h e m p i r e to i ts k n e e s
t h a t w a y . B e r r i g a n a n d th e p e a c e g r o u p " T h e
E i g h t P l o w m e n " w e r e s e n t e n c e d to t h r e e - t o -
t e n y e a r s in p r i s o n f o r p o u r i n g b lo o d ( h u m a n ,
o f n o a c c o u n t ) o n to th e w a r h e a d s o f n u c l e a r
w e a p o n s ( a n ti- h u m a n a n d t h e r e f o r e h o ly ) a t
t h e G e n e r a l E l e c t r i c f a c t o r y in P e n n s y l v a n i a .
H e s a i d t h a t P r e s i d e n t R o n a ld R e a g a n h a s
r e a l l y a w a k e n e d m a n y p e o p le t h r o u g h h is
" w h o l ly i r r e s p o n s i b l e " a n d " i n s a n e " p o l i c i e s .
N o w , h e s a y s , p e o p l e a r e b e g i n n i n g to l i s t e n .
P e o p le a r e b e c o m in g a f r a id s in c e R e a g a n h a s
b r o u g h t h o m e to t h e m th e v e r y r e a l t h r e a t o f
n u c l e a r d e s t r u c t i o n of th e U n i t e d S t a t e s .
The m e ssa g e :
" F r e e d o m is c o m in g ,
— y e s , I know . . . .
F r e e d o m is c o m in g ,
— y e s, I know . . . . "
T h e y o u n g p e o p l e , w ith t h e i r e l e c t r i c g u i t a r s ,
w e r e s i n g i n g N e g r o s p i r i t u a l s , w o r d s f r o m lo n g
a g o , w o r d s o f h o p e . W e a l l s h a l o m , a n d a f t e r th e
in tro d u c tio n s , F a th e r B e r r ig a n sp e a k s :
— " F o r tw e n ty y e a r s b a c k , M a r tin L u th e r
K in g t a l k e d a b o u t h i s d r e a m , a b o u t p e a c e in
th e A m e r ic a n s o c ie ty , a n d a b o u t j u s tic e a n d
e q u a lity b e tw e e n b la c k a n d w h ite . He is a g r e a t
e x a m p le f o r u s , n o t o n ly f o r w h a t h e d id , b u t
th a t h e s to o d a g a in s t th e P o w e r P r i n c i p l e . He
l i v e d h i s d r e a m . . . w e m u s t a l s o d o i t in th e
p e a c e m o v e m e n t : w e m u s t l i v e in p e a c e w ith
o u r l o v e d o n e s ; w ith a l l r a c e s a n d r e l i g i o n s ;
a n d w ith n a t u r e . T h a t i s p e a c e . "
— "T h e p e a c e b u s in e s s e m b r a c e s m u ch m o re
th a n m e r e l y th e n u c le a r t h r e a t . A nd th e d i s t i n c ­
tio n b e tw e e n n u c le a r a n d c o n v e n tio n a l w e a p o n ry
is c o n s ta n tly b e in g b l u r r e d . . .t h e d e s tr u c ti o n
in B e i r u t o r D r e s d e n w a s c o m p a r a b l e to a
s m a l l 't a c t i c a l ' n u c l e a r d e v i c e . "
— " T h e B o m b c a s t s a h o r r i b l e lig h t o v e r
in ju s tic e , and o v e r o u r irr e s p o n s ib le liv e s . The
p e a c e w o r k s h o u l d n o t b e l i m i t e d to m e r e l y
a t t e m p t i n g to a v e r t a n u c l e a r w a r . N u c l e a r
w e a p o n s r e p r e s e n t th e e x t r e m e d e v e l o p m e n t
o f o p p r e s s i o n ."
— " I t is i n t e r e s t i n g t h a t th e r e l i g i o u s p e a c e
m o v e m e n t — a r a t h e r r e c e n t d e v e lo p m e n t —
a l t h o u g h p a r a l l e l iñ s o m e r e s p e c t s to th e s e c ­
u la r m o v e m e n t, h a s d if f e r e n t ta c tic s an d r e ­
s u l t s . T h e s e c u l a r m o v e m e n t is m o r e c o n c e r n ­
e d w ith p o l i t i c a l r e s u l t s t h a n i n n e r m e a n i n g s ,
w h ic h c o n c e r n t h e r e l i g i o u s g r o u p s . T h e m e d i a
n e v e r c a tc h e s th e s e d e e p e r m e a n in g s . T he
i r o n y i s t h a t t h e s e c u l a r g r o u p s a r e h a v in g
m u c h l e s s e f f e c t th a n th e r e lig io u s g r o u p s ."
— " I f th e p e a c e m o v e m e n t is g e n u i n e i t w i l l
i n v o l v e d e e p e s t c h a n g e in a l l g r o u p s , c h a n g e s
in a t t i t u d e s t o w a r d s r a c e , s e x , w o m e n , m o n e y . "
— " It is o u tr a g e o u s th a t f i r s t s t r i k e n u c le a r
w e a p o n s a r e b e in g p r o d u c e d a n d p r o te c te d by
la w . T h in k o f it: m e g a - m u r d e r , a n t i - c r e a t i o n
p r o t e c t e d b y l a w . H o w d id t h i s c o m e a b o u t ? "
— " W h e n w e w e n t i n t o t h a t f a c t o r y , w e c o u ld
s e e th e s h in y m i r r o r s u r f a c e s on th e s e m i s ­
s i l e s , a n d w e c o u ld s e e th e r e f l e c t io n s of o u r ­
s e l v e s , b e f o r e w e b r o k e t h e m w ith s l e d g e h a m ­
m e r s . It w a s s y m b o l i c . T h e j u d g e s a n d j u r o r s
c o u ld s e e in t h e s e c r a c k s , th e c r a c k s in o u r
h u m a n ity . "
ŒI jf North
TIMES EAGLE
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