In recent weeks, the conduct of federal immigration agents has unleashed a shocking level of violence upon this country. It is opening fissures in our nation’s psyche that will not be repaired at the speed of the changing news cycles. This violence threatens our social order in a way that harms all of us, regardless of our politics.

Unearthing the capacity for hate and harm that lies within human nature, and within each of us, is deadly for any society. It undermines any other values we claim to hold. Our collective life depends on maintaining clear boundaries for how we behave, establishing consistent means to contain and stop violence without escalating it.

Responsible law enforcement exemplifies this understanding. Effective officers perform their duties in a way that respects the dignity of those in the communities they serve. They bring professionalism and training to decreasing tensions that arise in human interactions. They use force responsibly and are accountable for their actions. This is the kind of law enforcement that makes communities safer, and earns the trust and respect of the people they serve.

The untrained federal agents roaming American cities are functioning entirely differently. We see them acting without civility, despising and dehumanizing those they encounter. They lack professionalism as they act out violent impulses without accountability.

Allowing this is harmful and traumatizing, and the injury extends beyond the obvious wounding or death of those who are directly victimized. It harms the perpetrators themselves, solidifying their worst impulses as the lack of professional guidance and accountability allows them to rely on their own base instincts. It is devastating to the witnesses, and to all who claim this nation as home, when hateful acts are perpetrated in the name of the government.

In such an environment, individuals without a strong moral center become pulled into a dark vortex of violence, whether in thought or deed. Those in support of the administration become convinced that this kind of violence is necessary. In their approval, they clear the way for the latent violence in their own psyche to surface. Those outraged by this violence must contend with a level of anger and pain that stirs destructive impulses latent within their own psyche as well. Some individuals have the inner strength to contain such forces; many do not. Especially for those most susceptible, the images of unchecked violence invite a growing darkness to take hold.

Long, dark eras of violence and suffering have taught humanity what is at stake in the question of whether we can hold the bounds of civilized society. Undisciplined, unchecked, violent power unleashes a force that will not be contained or controlled. It cannot be tethered by a political position or constrained by a particular leader. It unmakes the social order on which any nation is built.

We must hold our representatives in Washington accountable for stopping this chaos. At the same time, it is imperative that we examine the nature of our effort and the tone of our demands. It has never been more important to see our own motivations clearly. Wise and effective action depends on clarity of perception and thought. Stopping violence must first be anchored to a commitment each of us makes within ourselves as an individual.

Nonviolent resistance builds a stronger, civilized society. Violence threatens it. From leaders such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, we know what nonviolent protest looks like. It requires discipline, commitment, and creativity. Thoughtlessness grants the dark power of violence a path to expression.

Civil society, much less a culture in which humanity flourishes, depends on refusing violence. We must cultivate nonviolence within ourselves, and demand the same from our leaders. We can only have a civil society if we work together to guard, preserve, and enforce it.  

Susan Christerson Brown