I took my kids this summer to a county fair and I
(proudly) wore my anti- DP t shirt ("An Eye for an
Eye"...on the front and "Why Do We Kill
People"...on the back). I was talking to someone
when all of a sudden a women tapped me on the back. I
excused myself and turned around and this women said:
"Where did you get a shirt like that and why would
you ever wear it around here - I think we need the death
penalty?"
Now, I have conditioned myself for (and I love ) this
kind of question...and I am ready for the usual next
question of: "So what would you do if you saw your
little girl being raped?"...and I always -
immediately say a quick silent prayer that my God will
be with me - this really helps me to be calm in the face
of possible conflict.
I said to her... "Good afternoon, my name is Tim
Musser and I'm from Cleveland, what's your name?"
She seemed a bit tense and taken aback - so I aksed her
if she was from nearby...She said yes and told me her
first name...I told her where I got the shirt and that I
was Catholic Christian simply trying each day to
struggle to follow God's message of nonviolence. (I was
told long ago via the writings of Dorothy Day and Thomas
Merton that a person who tries to live and act
nonviolently must also be ready and willing to accept
suffering, even, for example, the suffering that might
come from an angry woman at a county fair - who believe
she had all the answers.)
Well, this wonderful woman said that she herself, was
also a Catholic and that she just couldnt understand how
I and others could be in favor of letting someone live
that would rape a child or brutally kill another human
being...I told her I wear my shirt a lot out in public
because - while I cannot 'talk' to everyone - St Francis
of Assisi often said, "Preach the Gospel at all
times - if necessary, use words." She then told me
that she had a special devotion (liking) of St Francis
but had never heard that he had said that. Then I asked
her if she had a moment to sit down 'over there in the
shade' and talk for awhile...I wasnt too surprised to
hear her say OK.
I asked her why - in as calm and loving voice as I
could - she (and others) were in favor of people killing
each other? She told me 'her story' and I listened and
listened...and sometimes - to break things up a bit - I
would repeat back portions of what she had said to
me...and - to make a long story short - we talked for 45
minutes - and she also listened attentively to my
'story'. I spoke of how I came to know the truth in the
message of nonviolence and that it certainly wasnt
limited to Christians - in fact I told her of Gandhi's
assessment of Christianity - "The only people on
earth that don't see Christ and his teachings as
nonviolent - are Christians."
I got her name and address and sent her a couple of
brief readings on Christian nonviolence and got a VERY
nice response that she would greatly consider what I had
to offer. And, even if she never completely changes her
mind/heart on the DP issue, I know that the world is a
better place because of two people (strangers really) -
took the time to sit down on a beautiful Sunday
afternoon to witness to each other!
This issue, the death penalty, like all other
controversial issues of life and death, will only be
overcome by people talking to each other one on one and
really listening to each other...I wear the t-shirts not
only out of conviction but also out of a moral
obligation' to others who may not agree with me. As
Merton liked to preach to fellow peace
activists..."In the long run, it's attention to
personal relationships that will save everything."
Happy to be a part of the struggle! Tim Musser...
