To Puritans, Quakers Were “Ravening Wolves”
“Again and again in history we see that violent persons do not regard their opponents as fully human. The Greeks, it seems, waged war only against ‘the barbarians.’ For the Massachusetts Puritans, the early Quakers were ‘ravening wolves.’ African slaves were thought to be animals. Himmler repeated again and again that Jews were vermin, and vermin must be exterminated. The Nazis, in turn, were ‘mad dogs.’ […]
It is easy to be violent against those who are seen as either inhuman or non-human. The task of nonviolent campaigners, then, is to get the opponent to see them as human beings.”
— George Lakey, 1963
Quaker activist leader
Today’s Invitation
See your opponents as fully human.
This Week’s Query
When have you used nonviolence as a tool for change?
What did it teach you about your opponent? About yourself? Share your response!
Banner image: Todd Drake
Read the source of today’s quote
