“Daoist” Saint Francis and the Daoist Sage

The Practice of Humility in Peacemaking

Abstract

This article presents both Saint Francis and the Daoist Sage as models for contemporary challenges for peacemaking. Their practice of humility is proposed not only as a focal factor in the peacemaker’s mindset, but also as instrumental in the operational process of peacemaking itself. While not exploring the Israel-Palestine war in depth, nor providing practical studies of conflicts in Asia, the underlying, causal, and ongoing patterns of binarities are addressed. It is here that each “front” sees its own cause as righteous, justified by each one’s sacred narratives, and sustained by force.