LIVING A NON-VIOLENT LIFE IN A CULTURE OF VIOLENCE

By Barward Johnson
(Age 25, Liberia)

I live in a country, where for the past twenty-five years (my entire life time) violence has been the norm. Children and youths of my age group have grown up in a culture of violence. The seeds of violence were sown immediately after I was born.

One month after I was born, a violent riot erupted, beginning the circle or violence that has engulfed my country for so long. Almost one year after, on April 12, 1980, the nation witnessed another round of violence. This time it was a bloody coup, which led to the assassination of president William R. Tolbert Jr. Like the riot, the coups help to cultivate the culture violence. The nation went amok again. There were indiscriminate killings, rapes and looting. Five years after that coup, there was another coup. Although this other coup was foiled, it was more violent and bloody than the one preceding it. The nation experienced more deaths and destruction than ever before, but this was not the end of the violence. The worst was yet to come.

Then on December 24, 1989, a brutal civil war broke up. This war, which lasted for fourteen years exposed children and youths to the worst forms of violence our nation, has ever experienced. Young people became both victims and perpetrators of some of the worst atrocities known to the modern human race, By the early 1990's, the entire Liberian society was plagued by violence. Indeed, the civil war provided all the necessary fertilizers needed to cultivate the culture of violence, for violence was now the way of life.

Although there was violence everywhere around me, I still managed to live a non-violent life. I have practiced the value of non-violence since my early childhood and I have continued to uphold such values, for I believe that it is only by cultivating a culture of non-violence and peace that the world will be a better place to live. In living a non-violent life, I give love and respect to my fellow human beings. I am also tolerant of the opinions of others.

Moreover, I reject all forms of violence. I always avoid situations that would result to a violent confrontation with anyone, though my friends mock at me for this. For instance, during the civil war I did not take up arms to fight. The few of us who did not take up arms and decided to go school where targeted, whenever fighting broke up. We were threatened and beaten by our peers who had guns.

In addition to the physical pressure to conform to violence, there were also economic pressures. The guns were the only easy means to survive. Only those who had guns had the economic power; we who never had it turned to beggars.

Despite the psychological and economic pressures that made many youths to pick up arms, I remained resolute in my desire to live a non-violent life. I always try to advocate non-violence and peace. I encourage people to reject violence and to respect the life and dignity of every human being. Through my crusade for peace and non-violence, most young people are beginning to realize that it is only by cultivating a culture of peace and non-violence will our nation resurrect from self destruction and backwardness.

Right now, I am engaged in a campaign to rid our country of arms. I am encouraging ex-combatants to disarm to the United Nations Peace Keepers that have come to help us end our conflict. The campaign is going very well and it will continue until every ex-combatant is disarmed.

To sustain the peace after the disarmament process, I am trying to organize a youth group, name YOUTH AGAINST VIOLENCE. This group will promote the culture of peace and non-violence, and help to rehabilitate young ex-combatants. It will provide the forum for young people including ex-combatants to dialogue issues that will transform us from a culture of war and violence to a culture of peace and non-violence.

It is not only war that I reject, but also all forms of violence everywhere on earth. I just cannot comprehend why in this enlightened age people should still think they could solve their differences by resulting to violence. I believe there is always a non-violent and peaceful solution to any problem. The world would be a better place if we strive to build a culture of peace and non-violence. And if we do not begin now to cultivate this culture of peace and non-violence, we have stultified all achievements and advancement made thus far, by the human species and sentenced future generations to a bleak and bitter future.

MAY PEACE REIGN EVERYWHERE ON EARTH.