ACTIVISM AND SPIRITUALITY

2000 word Critical Thinking Essay

from Interviews with Jo Vallentine, (1990)

Viviene Elanta 12021131 November 2003

Throughout the ages we have had the fortune to have powerful activists working in our communities for political and social change towards more caring, just and sustainable societies. One of these intensely passionate and dedicated activists is Jo Vallentine, who has worked tirelessly and with persistence towards a more peaceful and sustainable world. Most Australians know her as a former Green Senator of the Greens WA, as well as a vigorous campaigner for nuclear disarmament. Fewer people know that she is a Quaker. In the Buddhist tradition it is believed that a bodhisattva is some one who incarnates with a particular work to do for the healing of the world, and will forgo salvation until all beings have achieved enlightenment. I believe that Jo Vallentine is such a bodhisattva who chose the kind of life, which prepared her for the task of working for the wellbeing of all beings. In this series of interviews Jo Valletine gives us an insight into her life as activist, politician and Quaker. She successfully integrates all three into a seamless practice and a way of life, which is a wonderful example of sustainable activism.

She embarked on politics in 1984, being first elected on the single issue of nuclear disarmament and subsequently she became Australia’s first elected Green Senator, a position from which she resigned in 1992. During her time in office she forged the way towards a politics of a different kind, a politics of the heart, one which is in service towards a sustainable and peaceful future. The four pillars of the Greens WA, that of participatory democracy, non-violent resolution of conflict, ecologically sustainable development and social justice underpin the politics Jo Vallentine was instrumental in building.

She lives her life from a very solid spiritual base, which nourishes and sustains her in every aspect of her private and working life. Her own four pillars or what she refers to as “dimensions” of her spiritual base emerge from the series of interviews as, Catholic Social Justice, Quakerism, Creation Spirituality and Woman’s Spirituality. Through these interviews she gives the reader an insight of a spiritual life, which for her is the foundation of all she does, and is the central thesis of her generous sharing of her journey as an activist.

Jo Vallentine says that the influence of her Catholic upbringing was very important in giving her a “good grounding in social justice issues”(p.99), as well as a strong conscience for social justice. She was encouraged during the 9 years of education at the Loreto Convent to be independent, and given the message that both motherhood and pursuing a professional life can be achieved through consistency and perseverance. These are qualities she needed in order to juggle the task of being a politician and a mother of two daughters.

Eventually disenchanted with the catholic tradition she turned to Quakerism, which led her into social action and subsequently into politics. What appealed to her about Quakerism with its blend of social action and mysticism, “was this sense of the worth and value of each human being”.(p.146) She also felt very attracted to the commitment of non-violence and a lack of hierarchy, as well as the quietness of Quaker meetings. A lack of church dogma was a reprieve from the strong dogma of the Catholic Church.

A further deepening of her spiritual journey was through Creation Spirituality, which she first became aware of through Matthew Fox’s writings. She sums up Creation Spirituality as being ecumenical; a bringing together of art, science and mysticism, in which we value all life as well as value different belief systems, because they all have validity. She speaks enthusiastically about the four paths of Creation Spirituality that of via negativa, via positiva, via creativa, and via transformativa, which she views as much more holistic than the Fall/Redemption thesis of conventional Catholicism.

Women’s spirituality emerged for Jo Vallentine out of Creation Spirituality, which honours women and their contribution to society. Although not a radical separatist feminist, she believes that we need to encourage and support each other in freeing ourselves from patriarchy. She thinks that we need to look for the male and female in each one of us in order to be more whole. She strongly suggests that women within the church should have the opportunities to serve in the church as equals to men, which includes ministering. She blames patriarchy for a lot of the ills in the world and thinks that women need to liberate themselves from it, while we need to support men to free themselves from their conditioning of gender stereotyping.

In general I found the questions put to Jo Vallentine were interesting, stimulating and at times very thought provoking. Jo Vallentine, like many activists, draws strength and inspiration from her spiritual practices. In my opinion these practices are paramount in order to sustain one self for the long haul. I find the sitting in silence and “waiting on the Spirit”(p.102), very intriguing. Such a practice makes the middleman redundant, where one can find a direct connection to God. Such a practice, I think would contribute towards finding one’s centre, which gives one the calm to go with renewed strength into a world so desperate for love and healing.

Peace and nonviolence are so central to every aspect of her life where the inner and outer are not separate. I agree with her that if one worked on finding inner peace before going into the world to work for world peace, it would take so long time and so one would never lift a finger. She is right in saying that they balance each other, namely that of compassion for all life with the understanding of radical insight of the interconnectedness of all phenomena. Like Jo Vallentine I too believe that all life is interconnected like in a web, and what I do to the web I do to myself. Bodhisattvas such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King understood our “inter-being” with each other. I think that once one recognises the uniqueness and beauty of each living being, then non-violence is the only option.

Jo Vallentine speaks in length about Christ as teacher and activist. The suggestion that of “Christ as challenging, as demanding, as radical” (p.139), is something exciting for me. It places him amongst the great activist of our time. I have always had difficulties with the idea of Christ having died on the cross for our sins. Is it not that he died because of our sins, as he was too radical just like Chico Mendes, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Jo Vallentine suggests that he was a threat to the “powers” at the time?

Jo Vallentine makes a couple of important points in regard to power. First, she believes that, “People don’t realise that they have power”. (p.105) Second, they abdicate their power to other people. I agree with both of these statements, because if most people lived their lives out of their full power most of the time and used it for the benefit of all beings, we would be living in a more sustainable, equitable and peaceful world.

Contrary to society’s disapproval of anger, Jo Vallentine has a holistic view of such strong emotions such as anger, especially in the realm of social justice. She says that, “you don’t have to be passive- in fact we must not be passive: we need to be active. There is a place for anger in our life”.(p147) I think that anger is a misunderstood and misused emotion, and when channelled appropriately gives an activist the fuel for action. Joanna Macy (1998) suggests that, “there is anger and outrage in us that needs to be spoken for clarity of mind and purpose”.(p.102) Joanna Macy further suggests that anger we hear arises from a sense of passion and justice. I have also found from experience in facilitating despair work that what lies just under the surface of anger is a deep sorrow and that when anger is expressed the sadness can also be released. The reading raises the following question for me: “Is anger compatible with non-violence and peace?” Yes, I do think that they are compatible with each other. I can feel very angry about the polluted rivers and use the anger to propel me forward into nonviolent action for a peaceful outcome for everyone involved.

A vital question, which was not asked in the series of interviews, is whether or not we should feel emotional about the state of the world? I argue that in order to be powerful and motivated to act we also need to be emotionally engaged. Many people say, “now let us not get emotional about this issue”. My response to this question is that being emotional about the dying forests and the starving children is normal and healthy. Feeling our pain for the world is a vital ingredient towards empowerment in order to come to terms with what we have lost. I tend to agree with Joanna Macy that we need to feel our pain for what is happening to this precious world. Only then can we feel empowered to participate in its healing. John Seed, (1988) quotes the famous peace activist, Buddhist monk and poet Thich Nhat Hahn, who said, that people need to “hear within themselves the sounds of the earth crying.” (p.5) If we cannot or don’t want to see the oncoming train, we cannot stop a collision.

I would like to suggest that due to the numbing of our feeling about the state of the world, environmental degradation and social injustices continue and are increasingly escalating. The question posed by Sheehan to Jo Vallentine was that, “mankind’s capacity to destroy itself with nuclear weapons or by environmental degradation demonstrates something of an inner reality: perhaps we don’t actually care wether we live or die”. (p.150) Such a suggestion answers my question as to wether rampant consumerism leads to spiritual death”, which Jo Vallentine suggests does. I believe that unbridled consumption points to an emptiness in our spirit, a loneliness of soul, which can never be filled with material things and if not healed, will not only cause a spiritual death but also a physical death of the human species. Let us be wise enough to choose life.

I have worked with Jo Vallentine on a number of projects, which gave me an opportunity to get to know her more, but this is the first time that I had a chance to learn about her life and the depth of her thinking on activism and spirituality. I feel more than ever inspired by this powerful, passionate and deeply caring woman, who never tires to speak out on issues of injustice, which very often lead to non-violent direct actions and sometimes arrests. This reading inspires me to take up further study in non-violence. I also feel motivated to record my own activist stories. I believe that activist stories are important as they sustain and nourish hope in us and also feed into the larger picture. These sustaining stories inspire us in remembering that ordinary people can make a difference towards building a more just and compassionate world.

The readings also affirm and encourage me to further my studies about activist women in Third world countries, especially India, who through non-violence and non-cooperation bring about change towards a more peaceful and equitable world. My original plan to travel to India has been strengthened as a result of this units weekly readings on “Activism and Spirituality” I plan to embark on an independent study contract in “Theory and Practice of Nonviolence”. I plan to visit the Savodaya Movement, which works for peace, Gandhi’s Ashram, as well as the Chipko Movement, who are the tree hugging women of Northern India.

The readings have also motivated me to explore the concept of power, because I think some of the answers of violence lie within structures of “power-over”, whereas “power-with” encourages cooperation and peaceful societies.

Despite Jesus, Buddha, and Mohamed the world seems to be getting worse. I think that is because we don’t hear the original message, that of caring and sharing. Many people are blinded by dogma and held down by hierarchical structures, which keep us locked into being victims of oppression.

Like Jo Vallentine I think it is important to challenge these oppressive systems and or join another more egalitarian group such as the Quakers. Equally important is to change myself in becoming more loving towards myself and others, because to the degree that I heal, the world also heals. Studying the readings and working on this assignment has given me the space to contemplate and reflect on the next stage of my journey to greater empowerment and inner peace, so I can better serve the world.

Reference:

Macy, Joanna (1998) “Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World” New Society Publishers, Canada

Seed, John, et al, (1988) “Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings” New Society Publishers, Canada

Vallentine, Jo (1990) “World of Worship: Four talks with Frank Sheehan”, recorded at Woolaston College, Claremont, WA