Antidote to Violence
Nation's healing begins with a personal commitment

By Joellen Koerner, Ph.D., MSN, RN
Midwest Edition Editor
October 22, 2001

We live in a world vastly different from the one so familiar to us before Sept. 11. For young people in our society, it has been a defining moment, one they will use as a benchmark for the rest of their lives.

The older generation remembers other times of disaster, war and tragedy. Those who hold unresolved grief feel the effects of this war in amplified fashion, as it stirs all feelings and emotions of similar nature unexpressed and accumulated across the life span. For the majority of Americans, it is a time of rebuilding our lives, our work and our belief in what is important as we try to create meaning out of the event.

What is the antidote to terrorism? How can we live our daily lives, carry out our important life work and contribute peace and healing to the world? Theologian, social psychologist and communications theorist, Sister Joan Chittister has observed that "violence is the absence of choice." That simple phrase guides my reflection on the many ways, large and small, that I have been both oppressed and the oppressor as I navigate this mysterious path of life.

When something is experienced on a magnitude of scale, it gives us the opportunity to notice its more subtle daily forms of expression. How often have we denied those we love most deeply the opportunity to make a choice when we felt we knew best without exploring the options together? How often have we misused our power as a nurse by taking responsibility for solving problems that belong to the patient and their family? How often have we let a disgruntled co-worker direct an activity rather than express a contrary view?

Being a member of the human race surrounds us with opportunities for mini-acts of love or violence on a daily basis. Nurses hold such a powerful heart-space in the minds of the public. We are trusted and loved for the many repeated acts of kindness and selfless service extended each and every day. Cultivating habits of simplicity, patience and compassion are the best remedies to counteract thoughtless or deliberate control of another.

Simplicity means living lightly on the Earth, while also discarding inner attitudes and thought patterns that are negative and self-destructive. Patience requires us to move into the flow of life rather than pushing or pulling to get our way. Direction is much more powerful than speed in most things. Finally, compassion requires us to be passionate about what we believe and what we cherish. This form of commitment leads to social action that can redeem the world.

As healers, we are called to maintain a balanced perspective on the events of the day. Yes, we are at war, but this time we are providing food drops and shelter along with specifically targeted bombs. Yes, we have soldiers in the field, but we also have guards stationed in airports and community service centers across this country, keeping safe vigil at home. Confucius observed that "to put the world in the right order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right."

Resolving terrorism seems like a task beyond my skill. But to care more for myself so that I can hold more compassion for others, reaches a scale I can understand, grasp and embrace, and so can you. After all, that's the core essence of nursing; that action takes us home so we can go out into the world as a beacon of health and peace.

©NurseWeek Publishing