Posted: June 6, 2024   •   Posted in: Action, Peace, Reflections

Reflections on the Peace Vigil

‘Our principle is, and our practices have always been, to seek peace, and ensue it …’

Declaration to Charles II, 1660

(Quaker faith & practice 24-04)

On the 10^th May this year, the Quakers in Beccles held a Peace Vigil in the town centre, inviting others to join us. This was the third one I have attended in as many years.  Unlike the last one, which was inspired by events taking place in the Middle East, this one did not have any particular conflict in mind. In that sense it was all encompassing in its scope.

Taking part or walking by

Initially, the Vigil felt muted compared to the previous ones I had been on. There were fewer people involved in it, and there seemed to be less of a sense of ceremony compared to the previous one. Unlike before, I didn’t sense any particular connection with those walking past. I wasn’t aware of them regarding us with anything but the vaguest curiosity, if they regarded us at all. This may not have been true at all, of course. It is very easy to put a subjective meaning on an objective event that may be experienced very differently by other participants.

When all might not be as it seems

I found myself wondering, as I stood there, if any of the people walking past were suffering from the effects of violence in their own homes? Or were perpetrating it? It has always fascinated me when I have discovered that people and events are not always what they appear to be. appear to be. A recognition that there is an underlying reality in society that may be unacknowledged.

The scene in Beccles that morning was very peaceful on the surface, but this could have been very different from the private realities of some of the people walking past; or indeed, for some of us standing there as part of the Vigil. I found myself hoping that some of the people passing by, who perhaps suffer in this way, saw us, and maybe wondered, as a result, if their lives needed to be the way they were. To perhaps notice that not everyone regards violence as inevitable, and that there may be people out there who can help them resolve some of their issues.

Connection

Although my sense of connection with those walking past was unremarkable, I felt an increased sense of connection with the people I was standing with. These were Friends who I have talked to and discussed many topics with, and who all interpret our practice slightly differently according to their own life experience. These differences truly faded away for me during the course of this morning, replaced by the greater truth of our unity. After the Vigil, we returned to the Meeting House. I felt there was sense of reverence amongst us on our return. A stillness that seemed to have carried over from the Meeting we had just engaged in.

Reflections

Later that afternoon we had a discussion on what we had done, and whether it had really meant anything. It may not, in the overall scheme of things. But thinking back to the concept of underlying realities, more may have been achieved than was immediately apparent. It was pointed out that event had strengthened us as a community. I felt that we had shown people in Beccles who we were, and what we did. I hope we conveyed some of what we believed in, both in the message of the day, and our way of communicating it. I personally felt slightly less disempowered by the prevalence of violence in society, and in the world generally as a result of taking part in it.

David W (Beccles Quakers)