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This sermon is the first of nine in a series of sermons given in Marsh Chapel that are titled "The Inward Journey." In this sermon, Thurman questions the ways in which one is seeking fullness, freedom, and responsibility. Though it is tempting to seek these ideals of the human spirit in the external world, Thurman notes that it is within the internal spirit, the voice of the genuine that is within all, that one may actualize one's potential for fullness, freedom, and responsibility. It is in…

Thurman discusses the complex nature of human experiences with suffering, violence, and social change. He reflects on personal encounters, such as guarding a house during a potential mob attack, and the moral dilemmas of choosing between violence and nonviolence, ultimately emphasizing that actions, such as feeding the hungry, should stem from a deep spiritual connection with others, rather than simply fulfilling immediate physical needs.

Thurman reflects on the challenges leaders face in guiding social movements, touching on the complexities of leadership, redemption, and the human ego. He also discusses the role of violence in social change, contrasting it with nonviolent methods and exploring the psychological and societal factors that influence individual decisions about life, death, and freedom.

Throughout history, physical violence has been used to bring about immediate social change. However, it is unable to rob a person of the “final vote” – the option to give up one’s life. Non-physical violence is a more devastating reality for Thurman because when it is effective, the person surrenders the will and is robbed of the option. Willingness to die, to escape the forced option, is “the organic basis for freedom in human life.” The force of violence does not enter the will but…

Throughout history, physical violence has been used to bring about immediate social change. However, it is unable to rob a person of the “final vote” – the option to give up one’s life. Non-physical violence is a more devastating reality for Thurman because when it is effective, the person surrenders the will and is robbed of the option. Willingness to die, to escape the forced option, is “the organic basis for freedom in human life.” The force of violence does not enter the will but…

In Thurman’s second lecture on peace, he focuses on the collective experience of harmony in a world context. While human beings are deeply embedded within the ambitions and structures of governments and states, it is essential for the individual to establish a sense of being separate and distinct from the world in which one is nourished. Amid Cold War politics nearly twenty years after the use of the first atomic bomb, Thurman considers the meaning of thinking about peace in light of the threat…