When i was young the enemy was the “dirty Commies”. They were out to destroy our way of life. We practiced “duck and cover” in school in case of “atomic bomb” attack and my neighbor built a “bomb shelter” in his back yard. Fear justified whatever means we took including War in southeast Asia. The Vietnamese were not our enemy. They had been our ally during World War II. After 9/11 we responded
to great sadness with fear and another senseless War. The terroist alert is still “orange”. Fear still remains.
Most societies have translated “to stand up for” as “to fight and battle for”. From a twentieth century educator: “Boys need to grow up~need to grow up as ‘Men’. It’s what a man fights for that defines who he is, boy…to fight for what you love against all enemies.” Nonviolence offers a way to “stand up for” without “battle”, without trying toconquer an enemy. That is why examples such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mandela and the nonviolent movements are so wonderful.
On the mythic level, the story of Rastam has wonderful parts, but the mythic journey is about fighting a lion, doing battle with evil forces, slaying a dragon.
Perhaps we can turn to the mythic journey of Inanna. The “Calling” of the journey
is not one of answering the fear of a people, but of hearing the pain of someone she loves. She does not battle or fight, but “surrenders” all that she possesses and
arrives naked to stand up before unjust brutality. And it is the love of those who love her that brings her to new life and new awakening.

I don’t know if i can overcome fear, but i can learn to embrace it. I don’t know if i can love those who harm me or others, but i can learn not to fear or hate them and turn to violence. I don’t know if i can or want to give up that energy that says “defend”
but i can give up the belief that the best defense is a good offense. And i know that there are ways of the heart that i can stand up for.