This week’s Vitality message is written by Eileen Flanagan, a Quaker author and co-clerk of Earth Quaker Action Team. Eileen has been speaking nationally about the nonviolent strategies for change explored in her latest book, Common Ground: How the Crisis of the Earth is Saving Us from Our Illusion of Separation. She will speak at the FGC Gathering Bookstore on Friday, July 10.

Starting with Our Bodies

The ophthalmologist said he was going to touch my eyeball then tilted my exam chair back in the dark room. I felt my body brace as the torture scene from 1984 flashed through my mind. I noticed that I wasn’t breathing, so I practiced inhaling through my nose, and exhaling as steadily as I could for the rest of the exam.

Noticing our bodies and breathing intentionally may sound simple, but they are two skills that are key to staying grounded when we are navigating scary or upsetting situations. I have been practicing these skills every chance I get – in the ophthalmologist’s chair, when the news feels overwhelming, and whenever I go to a protest. 

My goal is not to suppress my feelings, but to be aware of how they are affecting me, so I can make conscious choices. The forces of authoritarianism want me to feel knocked off my center. They want me to stay home in the face of rising state brutality, or resist in ways that distract from what they are doing. I feel led to show up grounded in love and open to Spirit, which takes intention.

If you are committed to nonviolence, what are you doing to practice? 

None of us know for sure how we will react if we are pepper-sprayed or witness other people being hurt. That’s why the Civil Rights Movement put so much emphasis on preparation and why I’ve been offering nonviolence trainings while on tour for my latest book, Common Ground. In-person roleplays enable people to practice holding their center in ways that online trainings can’t replicate.

Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) has played a disproportionate role in Philadelphia by training peacekeepers/marshals for protests. Our teams have de-escalated an argument over the Palestinian flag, a combative Trump supporter, and other situations that could have escalated in unhelpful ways. Debriefing afterward internalizes lessons such as taking a deep breath and asking for help.

Earth Quaker Action Team puts a high value on learning from experience. Before the 2020 election, we heard that Proud Boys were coming to Philadelphia to stir up trouble, a situation we felt unprepared to deescalate despite our training. Four of us decided to show up, not to intervene, but to learn. We met early to worship and then walked to Clark Park. We watched the progressive crowd grow – along with a rumor that there was a Proud Boy with a bat, or a hockey stick, or maybe a gun. We helped each other assess what was actually happening rather than get hooked by the fearful energy. It turned out that the Proud Boys never showed up, but the rumor led a small crowd to chase a man into his car. A video of his window being smashed got millions of views on conservative social media. I learned the importance of questioning rumors and continuing to breathe.

Discerning What is Ours to Do

Showing up to potentially chaotic situations is not going to be everyone’s leading. Our bodies have different experiences of trauma, vulnerability to police violence, and physical stamina. There are many other roles, though it’s likely that staying grounded will be helpful whatever you are led to do in these times. For those of us who are Quakers, worship is a place we can practice aligning mind, body, and Spirit together. Ours is a tradition with many tools that can help us cultivate inner peace even as we work for peace in the world.