I have defined myself as a nonviolent person since reading Gandhi in college. That view of who I am has been challenged many times in my life, but never as much as since trump took up residence in the white house.
I struggle daily, asking myself... what am I capable of to protect my family, friends, strangers and the U.S. from fascism. My thoughts and words have often not been very comforting nor nonviolent.
I picked up John Lewis' book Across That Bridge after he died. I knew he was a great congressman from Georgia, had marched with Martin Luther King and had received the medal of honor from President Obama.
I wish I had paid closer attention while he was alive. I did not know the depth of his spirituality, strength and commitment to nonviolence.
Lewis describes struggle as "the act of making things right," both personally and in society. He goes on to say...
"And it is an expression of the inner dissonance a person experiences within his or her own mind and heart, a continuing disturbance that will not cease until the circumstances have been corrected."
My copy of Across That Bridge bleeds with yellow highlighter. His chapters are broken down into...
Faith
Patience
Study
Truth
Act
Peace
Love
Reconciliation
My favorite quote from his chapter on Peace is "Sometimes you have to be willing to turn things upside down to make them right side up."
I needed this book. I needed it now. It inspired me, it challenged me to be better, it encouraged me to study.