AFTER VIOLENCE: 3R, RECONSTRUCTION, RECONCILIATION ...

The best way of building nonviolence is by practicing it,
like having 10,000 women "armed" only with candles, flowers and a
well-discussed, well-rehearsed plan for structural reform of a
very repressive/exploitative country approaching the class of
politicians, military, land-owners, businessmen-or their wives-
opening their hearts to them, trying also to understand their
situation. Sooner or later that may be the way much politics will
have to be done. But we are not there yet.
In the meantime doing reconstruction and reconciliation, and
then continue the work for resolution, nonviolently, which also
means without verbal violence, is learning by doing and doing
while teaching. To be better prepared next time.
The best way of building empathy is probably through the type
of exercises indicated under reconstruction and reconciliation
above. To understand how deep culture and structure work in Self
and Other is excellent, to develop that kind of insight together
with Other is even better. This can be done by using joint sorrow
to heal, joint reconstruction, joint resolution, through the pain
of apology/forgiveness processes or by participating in inner and
outer dialogues to improve the joint karma, through a more
positivist, intellectual historical exercise to establish the
Truth, or through a very emotional and constructive drama to
relive that Truth and shape it for the future. The stress is, as
so often in this text, not only on the single act of
reconciliation at the top, but on multiple acts among common
people, all kinds of people, all levels.
The best way of building creativity is by practicing it,
which is only possible if as many as possible, not only elites,
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