“You’re far too good a Highlander, Baxter,” he said, “not to be fighting for your king. When you get to France you’ll be throwing Germans over your head on your bayonet.”
“Yes, my ancestors fought for the king… I’m fighting too, only I’m fighting against a war.”
“Oh well,” he said,” they might get you a job rocking cradles.’
“If people of your views run the world,” I answered, “there soon won’t be any cradles to rock.”
– [A prison doctor tries to talk Archibald Baxter into fighting in WW1: quote from We Will Not Cease]
There are two kinds of war hero: those who show bravery while fighting, and those who actively resist violence. Young Archibald Baxter heard a lawyer explain that war was wrong simply because killing was wrong; so when WW1 broke out, Archie refused to enlist and was arrested. He was sent to prison several times and finally, he and other pacifists were loaded onto a ship and taken to Europe. He was imprisoned in England where they put him in chains and fed him on bread and water. To break his stubborn spirit, Archie was sent to the battlefield in France, where army officers tormented him.
Archie was tied to a post outside for up to four hours a day – the ropes so tight his hands turned black. Another time, they dragged Archie out onto the battlefield next to an ammunition dump during a German artillery attack. Incredibly, he was still alive when the explosions and mud settled.
Ordinary soldiers admired his courage, even if they disagreed with him, and were often appalled by their officers’ behaviour. One officer gave Archie a vicious beating then ordered some soldiers to throw him onto a wire covered walkway. But instead of smashing Archie down the soldiers lowered him gently down.
Archibald Baxter has never been hailed as a war hero by the media. His son, James K Baxter, was praised as our finest poet, and today it’s time New Zealand also recognised Archibald’s inspiring life.
Time is lost when we have not lived a full human life, time unenriched by experience, creative endeavour, enjoyment, and suffering. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
This sentence, from the classic Letters and Papers from Prison, was written by Bonhoeffer three weeks before he was hanged on Hitler’s personal orders in 1945. Meanwhile, Hitler wrote:
Nature is cruel; therefore we, too, may be cruel.
Bonhoeffer, a pastor, and his brother-in-law lawyer, Hans von Dohnanyi, resisted the Nazi’s control: recording crimes, helping victims and plotting against Hitler himself.
It’s Peace Day and I’ve been re-reading Strength To Love by Martin Luther King Jr. This book was life-changing for me in my early twenties (given to me by Peter Coughlan, the big-hearted man who ran the Christchurch City Mission). The sermons in the book are as radical as when King wrote them (several while in prison) during the Civil Rights struggle. King’s intensely practical spirituality is ‘tough and tender’: tough on injustice, tender on people. He encourages us to be non-conformists, he promotes non-violent resistance, and confronts militarism, materialism, and inequality: words which remain relevant 50 years on. While King’s poetic style was aimed at the listening ear, but it still packs a punch on the page, and you can almost hear the “Amens” after every sentence. A few quotes:
Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.
Expenditures for defence have risen to mountainous proportions … the nations have believed that greater armaments will cast out fear, but they have produced greater fear.
Through non-violent resistance we shall be able to oppose the unjust system and at the same time love the perpetrators of the system … Returning hate for hate multiplies hate … Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.
Capitalism must undergo continual change if our great national wealth is to be more equitably distributed.
All life is interrelated… I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.
Listen to one of King’s most prophetic sermons, 1967, in Ebenezer Baptist Church. (This recording later got a Grammy for Best Spoken Word).
“The time has come for America to hear the truth…”
August 6, 1945, an atom bomb destroyed Hiroshima – at least 80,000 people died instantly, and tens of thousands more in later years. An even more powerful bomb was dropped on Nagasaki days after, killing 40,000 people.
Almost everything within a kilometre of the hypocentre was destroyed, even earthquake-proof concrete structures.– Target Nagasaki by Craig Collie
Photos: Nagasaki before and after the atom bomb:
‘The US Secretary of War, was concerned that America’s reputation for fair play might be damaged by targeting urban areas. General George Marshall had a similar view, believing the bomb should be used first on military targets … Both men’s views were ignored.’– Extract from Target Nagasaki by Craig Collie
Some claim the bombing of civilians was the only way to end the war, but the targeting of civilians with nuclear weapons is immoral, illegal, and horrific. For a compelling argument of this see A.C. Grayling’s book about fire-bombing of cities in WW2, Among the Dead Cities.
Pablo Neruda’s poem Ode to the Atom speaks of how the atom was ‘unchained’ that day:
Alice Walker’s picture book Why War Is Never a Good Idea begins with the bright, comforting colours of a book for young children, but as War devastates the land the images become grim. It’s a scary message and parents will judge when their children are ready for it. The illustrations by Stefano Vitale are evocative and Walker’s words are true:
Though War is old
It has not become wise.
Though War has a mind of its own
War never knows who it is going to hit.
Walker comments: ‘War attacks not just people, “the other,” or “enemy,” it attacks Life itself: everything that humans and other species hold sacred and dear … It doesn’t matter what the politics are, because though politics might divide us, the air and the water do not … Our only hope of maintaining a livable planet lies in teaching our children to honor nonviolence, especially when it comes to caring for Nature, which keeps us going with such grace and faithfulness.’
The classic Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (1936) remains one of the most influential children’s books (it’s never gone out of print) because of its simple but powerful theme. The tale of a bull who likes to smell flowers instead of fighting was seen as a pacifist text at the time of the Spanish Civil War. Ferdinand is an outsider; a free-thinker who bravely chooses to do what he loves instead of following the crowd.
In contrast, Munro Leaf also wrote books which reflected the strict child-raising style of the time. His 3 and 30 Watchbirds (1941) condemns behaviours such as shoe-scuffing, primping, mumbling, moaning, fidgeting, sassing and wasting food. Some of it is in the spirit of war-time frugality but some Watchbirds are a bit extreme:
Grammar Can Be Fun is slightly more tongue-in-cheek and warns children against slack language such as “gimme, wanna, gonna, and ain’t”.
Imagine a world where instead of weapons of mass destruction, governments made weapons of mass instruction. Instead of spending $1.5 trillion a year on lethal weapons they could spend it on books. Here’s a better invasion strategy: Literacy Drones fly over villages and identify those without libraries; vehicles called Book Tanks (photo) move in to give away books to children; finally Seuss Troops visit schools to read aloud to them. Delivering books instead of bullets to children is a more effective way of fighting terror and raising living standards. Artist Raul Lemesoff already has a prototype Book Tank delivering free books all over Argentina, including to rural areas where there are few schools. Read about him in English or visit his Spanish website.
As Assad continues killing and maiming innocent people in Syria it begins to feel as if there is no alternative to using force against cruel tyrants like him. But military intervention is seldom a good solution and should only be a last resort. It can spark civil war or worse and it’s usually innocent civilians who suffer the most. About 62 million civilians were killed in the wars of the 20th century, compared to 43 million military personnel who died.
There are alternatives to violent intervention, but these are seldom seriously tried (there’s been hardly a peep of protest from our government about Syria). The peace scholar, Gene Sharp, came up with 198 non-violent alternatives. Possibilities include UN peace-keepers, negotiation, banning arms trade, blocking key investments, political non-cooperation and persuasion. Meanwhile the people of Syria stand in the streets for freedom in the most courageous of protest marches.
I’ve read many books about Hitler’s Germany but none as remarkable as Wolfram, The Boy Who Went To War, by Giles Milton (Hodder, 2011). It overturns clichés about the War and helps answer the old question ‘Why didn’t more Germans resist Hitler?’
Wolfram was the child of freethinking, artistic parents who resisted by not joining the Nazi Party and refusing to display a swastika flag – their Gestapo file described them as ‘dangerous eccentics’. Wolfram was 9 years old when Hitler came to power in 1933 and spent his childhood trying to avoid the Hitler Youth so he could draw and sculpt. Through his peace-loving family we see how the Nazis tightened their grip through brutality, laws, and a system of local informants.
One can’t help ask, ‘Would I have had the courage to resist?’ Wolfram was conscripted and became part of the War nightmare in Russia and Normandy. The story of his survival is completely gripping. (Note: not a children’s book, but would interest teens.) Wolfram is still alive and you can see his stunning paintings here.
This is a study in enforced conformity as Milton shows how the Nazis became increasingly intrusive in the lives of ordinary Germans Guardian review
Tyrants… the more is given them, the more they are obeyed. If nothing be given them, if they be not obeyed, without fighting, without striking a blow, they remain naked, disarmed and are nothing. Etienne de la Boetie, 1577
I’m reading a remarkable book, The Importance of Living, by Lin Yutang, written in 1938. His thoughts on ‘The Scamp’ seem timely in a year when people have taken to the streets and dictators have fallen:
The scamp is probably the most glorious type of human being. In this present age of threats to democracy and individual liberty, probably only the spirit of the scamp alone will save us from becoming lost as serially numbered units in the masses of disciplined, obedient and regimented. The scamp will be the last and most formidable enemy of dictatorships. He will be the champion of human dignity and individual freedom, and will be the last to be conquered…
The scamp (or vagabond) is a type glorified in Chinese literature; and Lin Yutang describes the scamp-like qualities of humans as ‘a playful curiousity, a capacity for dreams, a sense of humour to correct those dreams, and a certain waywardness.’ There’s hope for us yet. (Year of Protest, New Yorker comment)
Non-Violence by Mark Kurlanksky is an excellent, opinionated history of a dangerous idea. Non-violence is not pacifism, it is active opposition to oppression. The book shows it’s both inspiring and depressing to see how the idea has been tried through-out history, but knocked back by every war. But ‘the advocates of peace and non-violence come back stronger and more numerous each time.’ As the brave people of Syria continue to resist, it’s a reminder that other countries can help non-violently with ‘investment/arms ban, isolating, and cyber-attack’ before using force.
It is odd that we can accept the need for courage to do battle with an enemy, but not the courage to stand bare-breasted before an enemy’s guns A C Grayling review
Encouraging breast-feeding: in poor countries only a tiny percentage of mothers breast-feed their children.
Food banks: the community tops them up in good times with ‘food interest’ ready for use in lean times.
Malnutrition-busting food packs: made from chick-peas and nutrients and costing only 17 cents a packet.
Feeding children at schools: meals cost 25 cents a day and it also pushes up rates of girls’ attendance.
There’s enough food and money on Earth to feed everyone. The world’s military spending is $1.5 trillion/year – just $30 billion could feed the hungry for a year.
This is the beautiful Burmese name for Aung San Suu Kyi who is giving the 2011 Reith Lectures (listen here); recordings smuggled out of Burma. Her wisdom, determination and sense of humour come through in these talks. When asked how she lives with the likelihood of being shot, she says ‘that’s always a possibility, but on the other hand there’s always the possibility that you might be knocked down by a bus…’ The programme includes an audience discussion of ways to approach Burma; engagement and targeted sanctions seem to be the favoured options.
My very top priority is for people to understand that they have the power to change things themselves.Time article
Two war memoirs I was gripped by: Resistance by Agnes Humbert tells of her four year imprisonment by the Nazis. The title refers not only to the French Resistance but also the inner strength that enabled Humbert to survive horrific treatment. Its shows ‘how the human mind can preserve the heart and soul intact against all attempts to annihilate it’ (Linda Grant). A Moment of War by Laurie Lee relates his time in the Spanish Civil War. Lee begins his journey as an idealistic young man – ‘I was in that flush of youth that never doubts self-survival, that idiot belief in luck and a uniquely charmed life, without which illusion few wars would be possible’ –and ends it a shattering ‘moment’ when he sees the consequences of his actions. An honest book; the third in Lee’s stunning memoir-trilogy (with Cider With Rosie and As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning).
The world didn’t end yesterday as predicted, but one thing is for sure, we’ll all die one day. Of Gods and Men is a powerful movie about facing death and questioning one’s purpose. This story of monks caught in the Algerian civil war has 2 stunning scenes: the monks facing down the guns of extremists armed only with their convictions about peace; and a meal where they agree to face death together. Peter Bradshaw says this scene ‘is an overwhelming fusion of portraiture and drama, and perhaps one of the most sensational things I have seen on the big screen’ (read review). I agree, it’s a riveting moment of film-making. (I’m biased – the monks were beekeepers).
TINA says There Is No Alternative, TARA says There Are Realistic Alternatives. Operation Odyssey Dawn has been launched against Gadaffi. Sometimes it feels like there is no other way but force to remove a dictator who kills his own people.But I also suspect there are potent alternatives to military intervention which are under-used. The peace scholar, 83 year old Gene Sharp, listed 198 non-violent alternatives including noncooperation (economic and political), protest, persuasion, and nonviolent intervention. The US spends over $700 billion a year on its military structures – imagine if this was invested in peace initiatives such as fighting poverty.
No good thing has ever been wrought by force. Te Whiti o Rongomai
I admire the courage of the people power movements in Egypt and Tunisia in facing their military rulers. As Tolstoy said,
‘For us to struggle (the forces being so unequal) must appear insane. They have millions of money and millions of obedient soldiers. We have only one thing, but that is the most powerful thing in the world: Truth.’
The ‘truth’ here refers to peace and non-violent protest. Non-violent action has been successful in bringing political change. It even worked briefly against Hitler when much of the population of Denmark resisted the Nazi occupiers. Danish workers organised large-scale strikes and succeeded in slowing the supply of war materials to the German army.
People power has blossomed over the past fifty years. In the 1970s the military rulers of Argentina were confronted by a group of mothers who’d lost children in the ‘dirty war’. Their protest drew the attention of the world and the government fell. And don’t forget the massive strike by Solidarity workers in 1980 leading to democracy in Poland; and tens of thousands of civilians who deposed a dictator the Philippines; the wonderfully named ‘Singing Revolution’ (1987–1990) restored independence in the Baltic States; peaceful protests in Chile in 1988 helped to remove Pinochet; and 100 000 people gathered in Wenceslas Sq to end communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989. There’s been social change too, such as civil rights movements in the US and South Africa.
But any confrontations between civilians and the military state are a ‘slippery zone’. So to quote our Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, I hope that Egyptians continue to ‘express their views non-violently’; and ‘the authorities exercise restraint’.
