September 11, 2001 will forever be remembered as a day of great tragedy. When we recall the attacks on our country and the loss of life, the hurt, grief, and questioning are deep – who could want to do such a thing? Compounding the tragedy, our country chose to react with retaliation, revenge, and violence. We chose the path of violence and today we see the consequences. We have created enemies of whole peoples, we labeled them “terrorists”, and we vowed to destroy them. We have lost the respect of our allies. We have made our world more violent and less secure; our freedom and civil liberties are curtailed at home; our values of justice and equity have been eroded.

It doesn’t have to be that way. There is another September 11th to remember as an expression of love and determination, as a day of peace.

September 11, 1906 a small Indian man held a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa of nearly 3,000 Indian business men and community leaders to frame how they would respond to a racist, apartheid state that would deny them the most basic freedoms, justice, and dignity. Mohandas Gandhi organized this gathering and outlined a strategy of nonviolent resistance. He called the movement “Satyagraha” – literally holding truth/love (satya) with firmness and determination (graha). He asked the audience to take a pledge of nonviolence, but cautioned them not to take this pledge lightly, warning that the consequences of nonviolence and resistance could be beatings, loss of homes and businesses, jail, and even death. Virtually all who attended stood and took the pledge.

Thus September 11 is symbolic of a basic choice that we all must face: Do we respond to deep hurt and challenge with a practice of revenge and violence? Or, do we choose a practice of nonviolence and determination not to give up our inherent humanity? Each path has its consequences. And, it’s a path we choose everyday, not just on September 11.

We express our choice in the way we deal with problems at work, in the way we respond to our family, and in the way we provide for the security of our communities and our nation.

Let us use the period from September 11 th to September 21 st (the United Nations’ International Day of Peace) to reflect on this fundamental choice we all face. Let’s make a special effort to:

• deepen our understanding of the practical and spiritual consequences of violence and nonviolence,
• learn more about how nonviolent strategies have brought about constructive change throughout our history,
• improve our skills in peacemaking, nonviolent communication, and reconciliation,
• help our family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors choose a path of nonviolence, and, like those at the meeting in Johannesburg one hundred years ago, and
• make a personal Satyagraha pledge for nonviolence.