Thought for the Week: Peace as a way of life
Franco Perna reflects on how he has let his life speak through a lifetime of nonviolent peace activism
The Perugia-Assisi peace march last month attracted more than 200,000 people. Many of them were young. In 1961 I took part in the first march and have, over the years, attended about one in every three. I marched again this year, despite my age. I am 74. There have been other marches outside Umbria, such as one in Calabria and two in Israel-Palestine, which have been just as meaningful and inspiring.
None of these peace events, including the one in October 2001, which was attended by some 350,000 participants, resulted in acts of violence. Was this thanks to the good planning and preparation beforehand by the organisers, including the first one, Aldo Capitini, the Gandhian writer from Perugia (1899-1968)? Was it because of the historical, peaceful, figure of Francis of Assisi? I cannot say; but, for me, these protest marches are peacemaking events, in that they aim to engender positive thinking in all people while, in the process, asking governments to cut their military spending. It is only through disarmament that justice and peace can be achieved.
The Perugia-Assisi peace marches have become symbolic of grassroots actions which, through the positive reporting of some media, are gradually affecting the general thinking and culture of our society, both in Italy and beyond. On 15 October the ‘indignados’ filled the squares and streets of major cities across the globe. They were protesting against those who, in their view, bear responsibility for the present economic crisis. Well, there was plenty of violence in Rome, but for once the media clearly distinguished between the peaceful nonviolent masses (some journalists even referred to Perugia-Assisi as a positive example) and those few people who had infiltrated the demonstration to carry out violent actions – for political reasons?
In the 1950s I worked with Danilo Dolci in Sicily. Since then I have been interested in alternative initiatives aimed at improving social conditions within society, provided that such actions were grassroots based. Perhaps my strong feelings about social justice as the basis for real peace are grounded in my own situation as a child. I was deprived of a regular education beyond primary school for economic reasons and, at the age of ten, I started working with my uncle. He was a shoemaker. Five years later I was able to resume my studies, albeit combined with work, including international voluntary service projects in various countries (Italy – my birthplace – Ireland, Palestine and Poland).
It was natural, with such a background, for me to get involved in peace actions. I took part, from the early 1960s, in many of them, including Easter marches in England and Germany. I was then based in London as the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) European Youth Secretary. It was during that period that I started travelling widely throughout Europe. I also became involved in East/West projects, partly inspired by people like Paul Oestreicher.
With a weak academic/intellectual basis, I have always preferred actions to words. This, probably, was also the main motivation for spending a good third of my working life with Service Civil International (SCI), which is based on ‘deeds rather than words,’ and the Quakers – ‘let your life speak!’ Hence, practical involvement in peace work, especially at the grassroots level, for me, is a way of life. When the opportunity comes I cannot just stand by, even at the risk of being ridiculed.
My involvement in nonviolent peace activism comes from a deep inner energy and I will continue to do it while that energy lasts: I cannot do otherwise!
Franco Perna
He is an isolated Quaker in Italy on the international membership list of FWCC
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