More on EB's Theology of Non-Resistance

In continuing to explore EB's theology of non-resistance, it is important to remember how much he recommends flowing with the flow of life. In his book, In the Flow of Life (IFL), EB reminds readers that all people "come into the world as living souls of infinite potentiality to be discovered and released, for life is lived from within-out" (p. 11). In addition, he quotes from 2 Timothy 1:6, "'I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you.'" For some people, this may be a huge concept to grasp and an even greater one to put into practice.


When Master Teachers, such as Jesus and Buddha, as well as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, emphasized the power of non-resistance, they were in no way diminishing themselves or anyone else. They were focused on the truth within them, as well as the truth within others. Their focus was on what they were "for" rather than what they were “against." The difference is important. For if a person is fighting against something, EB would contend that their focus is "with-out" rather than "within." Thus, a key to non-resistance is that people (or organizations) focus on what they believe, what resonates within them, what moves them to action. And the importance is not the cause we are fighting against, but the people involved; because as has been noted on this blog previously, nothing and no one is against anyone.

Buddhist monk Pema Chodron, in her book Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living, gives a powerful illustration of this:
"In the '70s, there was a famous photograph in which the National Guard were all lined up with their guns at an antiwar rally. A young woman had walked up and put a flower in the end of one of the guns, and the photo appeared in all the newspapers. I read a report in which the soldier who had been holding the gun--who later became a strong peace activist--said that he had never before experienced anything as aggressive as that young woman coming with her flower and smiling at everybody and making this big display. Most of the young guys in the National Guard were already questioning how they got on that particular side of the fence anyway. And then along came this flower child. She never looked in his eyes; she never had any sense of him as a person. It was all for display, and it hurt" (pp. 175-176).

Chodron's point is essential to understanding non-resistance and helps readers grasp EB's approach in particular. The woman of whom Chodron speaks made a great display of resisting war, but she did not remember or acknowledge (according to this account) the people involved on this "side of the fence." She focused her efforts, in essence, gave her attention to, being against the war and used the flower as a guise for emphasizing peace. In IFL, EB describes a concept of giving that includes his version of one of the Beatitudes, "'Blessed are the meek for they give way to the flow of the eternal givingness of God'" (p. 100). Givingness here means to allow, to let flow and to be in the flow, with everyone and everything. EB says, "When the giving is inner centered, it is impersonal. The emphasis is not on the gift itself or to whom or what it is given, but on the inner source of love and substance from which it is given. The act of giving is a giving way to the flow that spring forth from the wellspring of all-sufficiency" (p. 103). And while this certainly can be advice about prosperity, it has an deeper message. Because when people fight against a war, big oil companies, a boss, someone they believe to be their enemy, they are focused on what they perceive outside of themselves, not what is flowing within them. They fail to give way to the life that flows within the other person as well. They give energy to what they dislike and what they are against, rather than what the truth is and what they are working for. Imagine if that same woman had given every soldier a flower and perhaps a hug or verbal thanks for serving a cause they believed in. Imagine if the flower children and the soldiers had had a conversation about what they all believed in. Might their conversation ultimately have revealed that each of them was working for peace although they saw it differently? Might they have realized that they were in the same flow if both sides had acknowledged the One Power and One Presence within each other?

Allow me to share a personal example, lest my blogging sound completely theoretical. At one time in my life, I and one other woman were "let go" from our positions at a small publishing house. I was an editor and she was a marketer. The company decided to decrease its publishing and so no longer needed our services. I had never "lost" a job before and went through a week or two of shock, not fully understanding what had happened to me. At night I dreamt that the company called me and said it made a mistake, that they really did need me to work for them. I called people I knew, spending hours trying to figure out what I had done wrong. I said nasty things about the company, probably including, "How could they do this to me." And then an older, wiser friend shared that maybe it was time for me to move on. She actually used the word "flow" and suggested that I use the time I had to focus on my own growth, to do some things I wanted to do, to relax and to explore other opportunities that better suited me. So I took more time to meditate, I took long walks with my dog, walked to the market for strawberries and croissants (which made me feel luxurious) and connected with old friends. I got into a flow with the universe and rather than worrying about when I would find a new job, I focused within to discern what I wanted to do next and how I could be of greater service. I slowly realized that the company had done what it needed to do to take care of itself. While it hurt to be "let go," I also understood that it was not personal and in many ways, this was very freeing. It allowed me to take outer action--sending our resumes, networking, following up on leads (this was in the days before e-mail)--after I had taken time to focus within. Eventually, I received many phone calls, then several interviews and five job offers. When I chose the new job, it was a job where I felt I could best serve with my skills and talents. I was promoted twice in that job before it was time to move into the flow again.

My point, and EB's as well, as to remember to get into--and stay in--the flow. EB said, "Whatever the conditions may be or the caliber or character of the people . . . the important thing is you are there. It is good to affirm: Wherever I am, there let me be. This means: Be a channel for the flow of the infinite creative process. If you get and stay in the flow, you will not let the attitudes and antics of other persons squeeze you into their mold; you will let the Spirit within you sustain you with all that you need of love and understanding and of the ideas and creativity to . . . be a bigger person in the process" (p. 90). Being a bigger person here means knowing that one is in the flow of life. It means letting go of resistance to what is and allowing everything to be. It requires acceptance of situations--even when they are unpleasant--and acknowledgement of others as Divine--even when they say, do and/or believe things with which one doesn't agree. If people remain non-resistant and flow with life, then they allow their givingness and gifts to come from within and they work for what they truly believe in. As EB said, this is when they can "stand in strength" rather than "sit in weakness." This is when they can "stand in love" (p. 93), which ultimately allows for compassion and peace.