Seeds Will Grow

Cross-posting Pace e Bene’s response to the killing of Charlie Kirk and the upcoming days of peace and nonviolence (source):

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September 13, 2025

The trap of violence—and the suffering it creates—was on full display this week, with the school shooting in Evergreen, Colorado, the Israeli bombing in Qatar, the ratcheting up of the war in Ukraine, and the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah on Thursday. 

Active nonviolence strives to free us from that trap. It is a path beyond the horror of violence on the one hand and powerless passivity on the other. It laments the suffering that violence unleashes. It resists the temptation to meet violence with violence. And it searches relentlessly for just and lasting solutions, breaking the cycle of violence and going beyond retaliation and escalation. Why? Because, in the end, this is the best way forward. It is the antidote.

As Indian poet and scholar Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee wrote this week, “Nonviolence is not just an option for peace. It is the only chance for our survival.” These recent chilling events—but also the long arc of history—reinforce for Pace e Bene the importance of fostering a global movement for transformative nonviolence.

Here is a statement on the killing of Mr. Kirk from The Christian Century entitled, “A Time for Nonviolence,” that is a powerful reflection on nonviolence as both a principled and pragmatic approach. We also have been moved by the statement Black Lives Matter sent out on Thursday:

“We just witnessed the assassination of Charlie Kirk today. The killing of a nonprofit leader is the dangerous next step in a long history of political violence of leaders and public figures on both the left and right. Political violence is contagious. It spreads. It does not stay confined to one side of the aisle or one belief system. It should terrify us all.When someone is killed on the left, blame is directed at the right. When someone is killed on the right, blame circles back to the left. In both cases, a black and white picture is attempted to be painted, filled with attempts to justify the violence by highlighting the worst things the victim may have said or done. Compassion is withdrawn. Humanity is erased. And the cycle deepens.  This tit-for-tat logic erodes our shared humanity. It entrenches fear, blame, and aggression. It makes space for more violence. And every time, our collective ability to live free of fear grows weaker. 

“We will not honor violence by excusing it, nor will we dishonor ourselves by calling for it or celebrating it. Our refusal to celebrate political violence in any form is not an endorsement of anyone’s politics. Charlie Kirk was not a friend to us, but he is a human being. We rise above hate in all forms as a commitment to life, to accountability, to compassion, and to the belief that no one should face a death sentence for their ideals.  The foundation of a free society is not agreement, it is the ability to participate without fear of violence. Political violence is always an attack on us all.  We call on leaders across movements, across ideologies, across organizations to join us in condemning this killing and reject retributive violence across the political spectrum.  We refuse to feed the spiral. We choose another way forward.”  — Black Lives Matter

We are moved by these words, which deepen our resolve to continue to foster a movement that takes such a vision seriously, including the upcoming Campaign Nonviolence Action Days, a global mobilization for a culture of nonviolence from Sept. 21 through Oct. 2.  The theme is “practicing nonviolence toward self, others, world, and earth,” and here are some ways to do this:

Self: To practice nonviolence toward one’s self, people are signing up to do daily acts of self care—walks, healthy meals, meditation, stretching, journaling, and more. They’re also joining in activities hosted by 10,000 wellness practitioners for World Wellness Weekend. Other great events include Music As Refuge: Finding Safety In Song For Self And Others in South Paris, ME, and Intention Fest: A Celebration of Wellness & Peace in Charlestown, RI.

Others: To practice nonviolence toward others through violence prevention, people are joining a convening called We Keep Us Safe in Bellingham, WA; a Day of Remembrance For Murder Victims at the Arkansas State Capitol; Start With Hello Week’s workshops with students on preventing bullying and social isolation; virtual trainings on restorative justice and stopping white supremacy at work with DC Peace Team; violence prevention trainings with students in Atlanta, GA; efforts to foster reconciliation and cultural understanding in Liberia; acts of kindness and care in Ellicott City, MD, for LOVE Is The Answer Day; Twin Cities Nonviolent’s discussion of why males are struggling to connect and Global Listening Day; a de-escalation workshop in Olean, NY; United Religions Initiative’s #WePreventViolence campaign; and violence prevention teams on the ground in numerous locations with Cure Violence and Nonviolent Peaceforce.

World: To practice nonviolence toward the world through movements for change, people are engaging in visibility actions to make their issues seen. These actions include the Global Day of Education to #CloseBases; a vigil for the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons in NYC; the Global Peace Film Festival; Twin Cities Nonviolent’s Brass Solidarity music action and a banned words action called “Say The World” in Minnesota; the Voices From Gaza talk; a teach-in on War Tax Resistance; ceasefire actions for Gaza in Salinas, CA and Manchester, VT; and a veteran’s talk on why she quit the military over Gaza. People are also taking to the streets with protest actions in Fredonia, NY; Burlington, VT; Detroit, MI; a bridge action in Cary, NC; and overpass banner actions in multiple locations with Backbone Campaign. 

Earth: To practice nonviolence toward the Earth, there are some major mobilizations happening that we’ve been encouraging our organizers to participate in, such as the global Draw the Line days of climate action, the US’ Make Billionaires Pay March and distributed actions, the Sun Dayactions celebrating and advocating for renewable energy, and a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Summit. Millions of people will also  join waste removal actions all over the globe with World Cleanup Day. People are taking action through events like the Presbyterian Earth Care Conference, environmental education workshops in Southern Minnesota, the Climate Film Festival in NYC, a pilgrimage walk for Care of Our Common Home by religious sisters in Philadelphia, a symposium on Peace With Self, Others & Earth in El Paso, TX, and a Climate Action Theater Arts Festival in Lansing, MI.

Explore all 5,531+ actions here. Learn more about our calls-to-action and join Action Days here.

We can escape the trap of violence only through the power of active nonviolence. 

Peace + nonviolence,
Ken, Rivera, Shaina, Erin, Mili, Sophia, Stacie, Rosie, and the entire Pace e Bene community

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