Love Your Enemies

On the way to work this morning, I saw a bumper sticker that read:

I’m pretty sure when Jesus said, “Love your enemies,” he didn’t mean you should try to kill them.

It got me to thinking briefly about 9/11 and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  

A good friend of mine in the ADR community told me once that one of her thoughts on that fateful day in 2001 was that she would negotiate with the terrorists if given the chance.  I was in New York that day and most of my thoughts toward the terrorists were hostile and remained so for some months until I could better learn and understand their perspective, as much as I disagreed with it then and now.

Her point was not that she would casually enter into discussions with Al Qaeda and begin compromising and conceding.  It was that she’d be willing to entertain a conversation in which a better understanding emerged, issues and concerns could be shared, and options could be generated for a possible resolution at less cost.  She did not necessarily hold out that the negotiations would realistically be accepted by Al Qaeda, let alone proceed or succeed successfully.  She simply had the instinct of wanting to speak to the other side first, before any continued bloodshed.

Before any we-will-not-negotiate-with-terrorists reflexes twitch, let’s bring in Dr. King…

Dr. King’s methods of civil disobedience and nonviolence assumed the posture that the other side would gradually move off of the positions they hold so sacredly—let’s recall that those positions were backward—if enough pressure was placed upon them by the peaceful methods of boycotts, the use of the courts, building coalitions and seeking federal intervention, and social mobilization; the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides, the Little Rock Nine, and the numerous marches and countless sit-ins and public meetings proved that posture to be effective.

Other civil rights leaders put forth more militant and defensive beliefs, like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael, but they, too, led peaceful protests and exchanged ideas responsibly during their respective public lives.  The movement and its leaders created opportunities for interaction on a peaceful level.  Virtually all escalation of and outright violence involving authority figures and protesters during the civil rights movement was initiated by the authority figures themselves.

And yet Dr. King continued to reach out to them, speak to them, and challenge them in their thinking…and progress was and continues to be made.

Now let’s compare.

In both instances, peaceful interaction and negotiation are being offered.  Dr. King offered it as the weaker party in most respects.  He lacked formal and physical authority, but he did derive some power from his message, his network of influential friends, and his most awe-inspiring voice.

Post 9/11, the United States was still the most powerful military country in the world and had about as much international good will as any country ever.  Al Qaeda’s power came from the popularity of its message to its devoted followers, its expertise of communications technology, and its cynical faith to jihad.  That is some power, but pales in comparison.

What better time to offer your enemies a seat at the negotiating table?  Now I can see why Al Qaeda leaders might not accept that invitation, given the concessions they would likely have to give, but why not have the instinct to ask?  If a legitimate request, it would increase good will among not only allies but those on the fence, and even those who only gave tepid support to Osama bin Laden.  If accepted, perhaps it would have averted or shortened two stoppable wars.  Either way, the thinking is essential to progress.

Dr. King and my friend, and many an individual, wish to engage their adversaries in constructive dialogue in an effort to make progress.  It’s a process that can be messy, confusing, and emotional—I suspect war is, too—but it’s love.

So “love your enemies.”

By the way, here’s the verse from Matthew 5:

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you: Love your enemiesand pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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