PLATFORM : Only the Tools of Nonviolence Can Save Us From the Ultimate Psychopath

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, a spiritual lecturer and author of the books “A Return to Love” and “A Woman’s Worth,” comments on the government’s actions in resolving the standoff with the Branch Davidians in Waco, Tex. She told The Times:

Most members of the Branch Davidians saw reality quite differently from you and I. But that in itself doesn’t mean they were criminals, and as citizens, they deserved protection at all costs, not the risk of their lives at the hands of the government.

When violence on our streets is the most frightening epidemic of our times, can we afford to be seen, by our own children, justifying it anywhere but where absolutely necessary? Is disregard for human safety criminal in a gang member but justifiable if it wears a badge? Is violence less violent if sanctified by government approval?

The sad and horrible truth is this: The death of David Koresh is not the death of the psychopathic mind, nor even the death of all psychopaths in power. What will we do if the terrible day comes when one as insane as David Koresh holds the key to nuclear power? It could happen, in this decade or the next. What good will our armies and our tanks do us then? Do we think that our willingness to use force will be enough to stop him? I think not. Only patience and prayer and understanding of the human mind and heart will give us half a chance on such a day as that.

So starting now, we should start storing up our tools. Only the tools of nonviolence will save us on the day when violence reaches its darkest peak.