The violence of change

We have seen in recent years that repression and stagnation lead to change that can turn and often is violent.  Just looking back at the Arab spring we can recognise the inherent violence in change.  Indeed when change is resisted the violence persists in the daily lives of those that are involved.  Syria is a prime example on the world stage but such violence can take root within communities and institutions without the obvious violence of Syria.  Just looking at Christ's reaction to the desecration of the temple precinct (Jn. 2.13-22) and the need to change back to the originality of God's requirements is sufficient to give us an idea of the violence that such change can bring.  The criteria for a living relationship with the other is laid down succinctly within the scriptures ( Ex. 20.1-17) but as we know they can be interpreted to allow our own living conditions.

It is not as if we do not agree with the outline of the commandments but rather that we want our own way rather than live, what we perceive to be a restrictive life, that leaves us victimised when others do not agree with our standards.  Christ in upsetting the temple precinct signals to those around him a need to re-turn to the specifics and not to the human inspired interpretation.  This metanoia is preceded by violence to those involved as much as to ourselves.  It reminds us that we are prone to the same violence in order to retain that which we believe is right.  In resisting our own need to change we operate with subversive violence rather than in the righteous violence of righting a wrong.  It is not that the violence is the correct way to go but rather that sometimes we need the violence to up root the wrong values that have been embedded in our own hearts.  Trauma such as this is akin to the surgeon cutting out the melanoma.  Resistant violence is more akin to the Syrian situation and can be likened to us beating up the surgeon as they attempt to excise the melanoma.

Do we use the violence of healing or the violence of condemnation?

This loss of something from ourselves is resisted even when it means turning back to the things that we are called to in community that we have neglected. It is that resistance in our understanding of ourselves that leads to violence as a protective mechanism.  This is why it so hard to love those who are doing violence to the community because it means that we have to loose something of ourselves when we deny them the privilege of forgiveness.  Instead of remitting to God we seek our own recompense and enter into the cycle of violence, so destroying the peace that God brings.  We should be seeking the grace that comes from God and allows us to fulfill the commandments that God has given to us.  In doing so we seek the good of the community and excise (violence) those things that are not of the community that God cares for.

Like St David before us we do the little things that are forgotten so that we do not become tied down in debates as to the goodness of our world.  In doing this we fulfill God's will for community as we care for each other.  The things that need to be excised are those thoughts that remove us from the daily life into the grandeur of our wants rather than the needs of the community.  By participating in the violence of excision and repentance we negate the violence of power and resistance.  By cutting something away we allow for the new growth to come through rather than removing the community through our power seeking.  Destruction of what is inherently good, a community of love, because we require control of our lives leads to the selfish world of isolation.  Excision of what contributes to our lack of empathy and understanding leads to revitalisation and the community in new life.