Vietnam, Norman Morrison, Ukraine

As I sit on the couch reading the web about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I am reminded of a poem written by Wendell Berry.

The poem was inspired by the death of Norman Morrison, a Quaker -- a religion known for its embrace of pacifism -- man who lit himself on fire outside Defense Secretary Robert McNamara's office as a protest against American involvement in Vietnam. Morrison was probably inspired by the case of Thích Quảng Đức who burned himself alive in 1963 to protest the persecution of Buddhists by the government of South Vietnam. The picture at the top of this entry shows the fire.

Here is the poem.

In a time that breaks
in cutting pieces all around,
when men, voiceless
against thing-ridden men,
set themselves on fire, it seems
too difficult and rare
to think of the life of a man
grown whole in the world,
at peace and in place.
But having thought of it
I am beyond the time
I might have sold my hands
or sold my voice and mind
to the arguments of power
that go blind against
what they would destroy.

McNamara, years later reflected on Morrison's death saying, "How much evil must we do in order to do good? We have certain ideals, certain responsibilities. Recognize that at times you will have to engage in evil, but minimize it."