Gandhi Clip on the Salt March (teaching clip for non-violence and direct action)
(Image by YouTube, Channel: Michele Rudy) Details DMCA
Vaclav Havel, former Czech president
*
We've got some difficult days ahead.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
*
"I read the news today, oh boy,"
John Lennon
Prologue
So far in this series, I have attempted to offer perspectives on two forms of power - domination and partnership (or mutual power): that is, "power-over" and "power-with-others."
In this essay I'd like to begin to explore a third form, which can be described as power-from-within - or "soul-force" - a term coined by M.K. Gandhi. An image that comes to mind is of a many-faceted gem. The following piece is designed to reflect one aspect of this jewel, which can also be called, moral power - a power that includes determination, selflessness and courage.
Introduction
Donald Trump has both outlined and telegraphed his priorities. Famously, he declared that he will be a "dictator on day one".
I believe we would do well to recognize that a person without conscience is a person capable of anything. Clearly, for countless people, his ascension on 5 November 2024, originally elicited sorrow, anxiety, depression, horror; now, more than two months later, these may have subsided to a degree - being replaced by feelings of flatness, resignation, nameless dread, and background thoughts of impending doom. These appear to be understandable and appropriate responses to what lies ahead.
While the future is unpredictable, trends can easily be foreseen. Trump's initiatives, already laid out in his campaign, will be based on what Riane Eisler has called the dominator-model. We will likely see an exponential expansion of hubris and arrogance, of racism and white supremacy, of intolerance, extremism, xenophobia, and chauvinism - and of oligarchy, and blunt kleptocracy. International relations can be expected to worsen, and given the belligerence of the American right-wing, to become enflamed.
Emboldened supporters' exuberant comments on social media, already offer a clear sense of where we are heading.
Major news outlets have reported social media messages aimed at black readers in Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia. Michigan and elsewhere, which read:
"You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 12 pm sharp with your belongings. Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Brown Van. Be prepared to be searched down once you've entered the plantation."
More triumphalism:
The gloating social media post from a well-known far-right political pundit, adapting the feminist meme, "My body, My Choice" proclaims: "Your body, My choice" has gone viral; meanwhile, women are reporting a rise in online abuse since the presidential election.
Once Pandora's box has been opened, the demons will only grow larger and more threatening. Do not expect them to return to their prior abode.
To repeat: Donald Trump has been very clear about where he is coming from.
From the BBC:
"President Donald Trump deployed the epithet against mainstream US media outlets that he sees as hostile.
"'The FAKE NEWS media (failing New York Times, NBC News, ABC, CBS, CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!' he wrote on Twitter.
"The US president's use of 'enemies of the people' raises unavoidable echoes of some of history's most murderous dictators."
Beginning January 20th
I can imagine two scenarios. In the first Trump will initially try to appear reasonable, even conciliatory. The media will continue "sane-washing" and "safe-washing" what he says and does. Alternately: out of the gate his administration - high on hubris - will feel entitled to demonstrate that they can do exactly as they please.
There may be a honeymoon period with the new president saying words about national unity, etc. It will not last. In time he and his policies will be fiercely questioned - something he cannot tolerate. His lies and mendacity will be confronted - and this is almost certainly something he will not abide. Over time the situation will deteriorate. Confrontations are likely to escalate.
It seems probable that, as the Trump administration rolls out its agenda - with the both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court as lockstep enablers - his initiatives will begin to resemble a steamroller.
In response, if the world is fortunate, a resistance movement will arise.
Civil Disobedience
There will be marches, demonstrations, street protests, and sit-ins reminiscent of the 1960s. Even if initially indulgent, the Trump administration will be unlikely to brook much overt dissent; past a certain point, they will not accept being challenged and in time can be expected to retaliate with force. Trump, who openly admires "strongman leaders," like Viktor Orban and Kim Jong Un, will abhor the idea of being seen as weak, especially by his MAGA followers.
DJT is a classic authoritarian - and proud of it. Embedded in the dominator's psychology - in addition to sadistic tendencies - is the belief that authority itself must be unchallengeable. A top-dog must remain on top and need not negotiate with peons. When persistently challenged, dyed-in-the-wool authoritarians usually resort to some form of violence, as the only response they have left.
Recall, that in the run-up to 4 June 1989, Chinese leaders - accustomed to being in rigid control for millennia - lacked the flexibility to acknowledge the legitimacy of the protestors' modest desires. The Chinese students were ablaze with the same democratic ideals as American students who clashed with authorities in the sixties. They used the same nonviolent tactics and favorite slogans of American antiwar protesters. However, they failed to appreciate that the degree to which authorities, when challenged, would assert their dominance with an iron fist. The Tiananmen massacre followed.
However, in the coming months and years in the U. S., similar responses need not come from institutional sources. Paramilitary militia groups loyal to Donald Trump have been rebuilding and regaining strength. It is not unlikely that they, sooner or later, will instigate violent clashes with nonviolent protesters. And without discipline, protesters' nonviolence can turn on a dime into violent responses.
It seems probable that provocateurs will be used to infiltrate nonviolent civil disobedience marches and rallies as a rationale for labeling protesters as terrorists - leading to unbridled police or national guard responses. I would guess that, sooner or later, we will witness events echoing the killings at Kent State and Tiananmen Square.
In response, a few people may follow the example of Aaron Bushnell: self-immolation.
It is predictable, given Donald's Trump's character structure that - along with the collusion that the media has already demonstrated - there will be ongoing attempts to deceive the American public... to present a positive facade that is the polar opposite of the truth. That is, the opposite of the following assessment by James Gilligan M.D. (in Bandy Lee's book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump):
"The Issue is Dangerousness, Not Mental Illness:
"If we are silent about the numerous ways in which Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened violence, incited violence, or boasted about his own violence, we are passively supporting and enabling the dangerous and naïve mistake of treating him as if he were a 'normal' president or a 'normal' political leader. He is not, and it is our duty to say so, and to say it publicly. He is unprecedentedly and abnormally dangerous."
The Role of "Spiritual Elders and Mentors"
However, responding to domination with reciprocal attempts to over-power adversaries - particularly when the established powers have the police and military at their beck and call - clearly will not work. The challenge will be responding to abuse of power without an in-kind reaction.
If these predictions are at all accurate, those of us seeking a more equitable society will need all the wisdom and practical know-how we can find. In addition to relying on one another in the present, we need to remember that we can draw sustenance from the wisdom of elders and allies - beings who have already confronted oppression and evil. True elders have become deep repositories of wisdom and have a desire to serve and enhance all life. We can think of these beings as the advanced guard, as spiritual mentors. Or, as "species forerunners."
We will need to bring to the coming challenges...social creativity, innovation, and a spirit of experimentation. To realize that we are not in it alone and do not have to re-invent the wheel.
In this light I wish to share the words of men and women who have thought deeply about these issues and in their own time have gained hard-won wisdom from their engagement with the powers that be.
Below find the words of Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thich Naht Hanh, Joanna Macy, Aung San Suu Kyi, Desmond Tutu, and Vimala Thakar. Call them apostles of nonviolent social change. We can also be aware that the following words do not merely offer a window into the speaker; they also present a window into a world and a worldview... a worldview that sees all beings and all things as interrelated and interdependent.
In the words of Martin King: "We are tied in a single garment of destiny. What affects one directly affects everyone indirectly."
It is my hope that these words can offer a taste and flavor of an approach to social change that simultaneously transforms the change agent and society.
Inspiration for the days ahead:
M.K. Gandhi
"Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.
"Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.
"The way of violence is old and established. It is not so difficult to do research in it. The way of nonviolence is new. The science of nonviolence is yet taking shape. We are still not conversant with all its aspects. There is a wide scope for research and experiment in this field.
"Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our very being.
"Nonviolence is an active force of the highest order. It is soul force or the power of Godhead within us."
M.K. Gandhi can be thought of as the father of civil disobedience. He best known for creating a form of resistance to barbarism, oppression, and violence - which itself renounced all use of violence.
During the early to mid-20th century Gandhi utilized an extraordinary blend of inner spiritual work, sensitivity to the suffering of the poor and disenfranchised, and masterful use of skillful political means to bring about social change.
In the face of the immerse power of the British Empire, his "nonviolent army" eventually won the day, such that colonial India celebrated its independence on the 15th of August 1947. The way of non-violent resistance has been taken up by other movements in other nations throwing off overt colonization, as well as various forms of unofficially sanctioned oppression.
In 1908 Gandhi coined the term "satyagraha" (literally truth-force) while in South Africa and later utilized it in his campaign to free India from British colonial rule. "Satya" or truth refers to existence - that which is; Gandhi equated reality/existence with God. The term "agraha" can be defined as "insisting upon" or "strong inclination for." As such, satyagraha is translated as "holding fast to the truth". However, this steadfastness must be free from arrogance, self-righteousness, or the sense that one is "better than." In Gandhi's words: "To see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of creation as oneself." He also declared that "the British will leave India, but they will leave as friends."
Gandhi had indeed re-discovered an alternate power source, which he sometimes called "soul force" and at other times - "love force."
In responding to the racism in South Africa, he had urged his community to refuse to obey degrading legislation - without violent retaliation - while accepting the consequences for these actions... yet, at the same time, "not yielding an inch regarding the demand for fair and equitable treatment under the law." Gandhi later described this approach as, "the moral equivalent of war."
Gandhi maintained that the ultimate objective of the social revolutionary is a simultaneous personal and social transformation. This entailed an internal focus on deep introspection and spiritual evolution combined with the external objective of overcoming injustice through non-cooperation. Ahimsa (harmlessness), he stated, is not a path for the timid. "It does not mean meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, [rather] it entails a pitting of one's whole soul against the will of the tyrant."
The process involved:
o making people conscious of the nature of the injustice, and cause of the injustice;
o creating belief in one's ability and duty to resist;
o enabling people to realize that acquiescence is cooperation, that one has the duty and the power to resist both as an individual and a member of an organized group which is affected;
o realizing that this power lies with us, and has to be employed. However, it is ahimsa - nonviolence - which is cornerstone and ground of all actions.
The techniques or means of struggle that Gandhi employed included:
- Surveys to marshal evidence and establish Truth Petitions
- Demonstrations
- Meetings and marches
- Open declarations: pledges or vows
- Picketing: strikes or work stoppages
- Defying prohibitory orders
- Defying bans on manufacture and sale of goods
- No-Tax campaigns
- Civil Disobedience
- Fasting
The mahatma ("great soul"), as he was called, harbored no illusions regarding the difficulties involved in inspiring large numbers of people in embracing satyagraha. Regarding the personal growth necessary, Gandhi wrote: "The acquisition of the spirit of non-resistance is a matter of... training... and appreciation of the hidden forces within us."
Martin Luther King Jr.
When receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, King hailed the successful precedent of nonviolent resistance: "in a magnificent way by Mohandas K. Gandhi to challenge the might of the British Empire... He struggled only with the weapons of truth, soul force, non-injury and courage."
From King's sermon, delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama - November 17th, 1957:
"...Now let me hasten to say that Jesus was very serious when he gave this command; he wasn't playing. He realized that it's hard to love your enemies. He realized that it's difficult to love those persons who seek to defeat you, those persons who say evil things about you" And it's significant that he does not say, 'Like your enemy' "because you have agape in your soul" you come to the point that you love the individual who does the evil deed, while hating the deed that the person does.
"I think the first reason that we should love our enemies" is this: that hate for hate only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe"that goes on ad infinitum. It just never ends. Somewhere somebody must have a little sense "The strong person is the person who can cut off the chain of hate, the chain of evil.
"A second thing that an individual must do in seeking to love his enemy is to discover the element of good in his enemy, and every time you begin to hate that person and think of hating that person, realize that there is some good there and look at those good points which will over-balance the bad points.
"And this simply means this: That within the best of us, there is some evil, and within the worst of us, there is some good. When we come to see this, we take a different attitude toward individuals. The person who hates you most has some good in him; even the nation that hates you most has some good in it; even the race that hates you most has some good in it.
"When you rise to the level of love, of its great beauty and power, you seek only to defeat evil systems. Individuals who happen to be caught up in that system, you love, but you seek to defeat the system.
"--- there is another way. And that is to organize mass non-violent resistance based on the principle of love."
Martin Luther King on the Vietnam War in 1967
youtube.com/watch?v=qqOoX8zFQj0
**
Thich Nhat Hanh
**
"I'm Krista Tippett, and this is On Being.
"Thich Nhat Hanh first came to the world's attention in the 1960s, during the war in his native Vietnam. He forsook monastic isolation to care for the victims of that war and to work for reconciliation among all the warring parties. He called this 'engaged Buddhism.'
"He was expelled from post-war Vietnam, because he had refused to take sides even as he worked for peace. He settled in France, and there he founded Plum Village, a Buddhist community, or sangha, that has spawned communities of practice and service around the world. His students called him 'Thay,' the Vietnamese word for teacher. He attracted crowds of thousands when he spoke. Five hundred people of every background and profession attended the retreat where I was to interview him.
"In 1966, he traveled to the U.S. and met with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., helping to persuade Dr. King to speak out against the U.S. War in Vietnam. King went on to nominate Thich Nhat Hanh for a Nobel Peace Prize a year later, calling him an 'apostle of peace and nonviolence.'
Nhat Hanh published over 130 books, including more than 100 in English, which as of January 2019 had sold over five million copies worldwide.
**
Rev. John Dear speaking about Thich Nhat Hanh's visit with King:
"Dr. King was floored. You can read it in his speeches... and statements later saying he basically had never met anybody like Thich Nhat Hanh, such a gentle monk. And don't be fooled by Thich Nhat Hanh, because he was a person of steel. He was so solid. He was so strong and firm. And King recognized that immediately.
"And it's hard to unpack the impact that Thich Nhat Hanh had on the United States and in mobilizing... these great figures, to really speak out for an end to the War in Vietnam, beginning with Martin Luther King."
21st Century Compassion - Thich Nhat Hanh on the Vietnam War
youtube.com/watch?v=HdNVx8zW1JQ
Martin Luther King, Gandhi are as alive as ever - Thich Nhat Hanh
youtube.com/watch?v=pAIg5gk3TfA
Thich Nhat Hanh - Rare Interview - 1972 Conference on The Human Environment
youtube.com/watch?v=PqMCcgd5Pqk
**
Joanna Macy
"By strengthening our compassion, we give fuel to our courage and determination."
"In the past, changing the self and changing the world were often regarded as separate endeavors and viewed in either-or terms. But in the story of the Great Turning, they are recognized as mutually reinforcing and essential to one another."
"You don't need to do everything. Do what calls your heart; effective action comes from love."
"Active
Hope is not wishful thinking.
Active Hope is not waiting to be rescued . . . .
by some savior.
Active Hope is waking up to the beauty of life
on whose behalf we can act.
We belong to this world.
The web of life is calling us forth at this time.
We've come a long way and are here to play our part.
With Active Hope we realize that there are adventures in store,
strengths to discover, and comrades to link arms with.
Active Hope is a readiness to discover the strengths
in ourselves and in others;
a readiness to discover the reasons for hope
and the occasions for love.
A readiness to discover the size and strength of our hearts,
our quickness of mind, our steadiness of purpose,
our own authority, our love for life,
the liveliness of our curiosity,
the unsuspected deep well of patience and diligence,
the keenness of our senses, and our capacity to lead.
None of these can be discovered in an armchair or without risk."
Active Hope with Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone
youtube.com/watch?v=sdn-KZLJunM
**
Aung Sang Suu Kyi:
"A revolution which aims merely at changing official policies and institutions with a view to an improvement in material conditions has little chance of genuine success. Without a revolution of the spirit, the forces which produced the iniquities of the old order would continue to be operative, posing a constant threat to the process of reform and regeneration. It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights.
"There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear. A people who would build a nation in which strong, democratic institutions are firmly established as a guarantee against state-induced power must first learn to liberate their own minds from apathy and fear."
Aung San Suu Kyi
youtube.com/watch?v=xbepony_fSU
**
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
After the fall of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as South Africa's first Black president, Archbishop Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where he pushed for restorative justice.
Tutu stated that the word ubuntu, which is rooted in South African culture means that a person becomes human through other persons, that my humanness is inextricably bound up in yours. "Such a person," says Tutu, knows that, "he or she belongs in a greater whole, and is diminished when others are humiliated... or are tortured or oppressed, or treated as if they were less than who they are... What dehumanizes you, inexorably dehumanizes me. What elevates you, elevates me."
...
"Apartheid is as evil, as immoral, as un-Christian, in my view, as Nazism. And in my view, the [U.S.] administration's support and collaboration with it is equally immoral, evil and totally un-Christian."
"The many, many people who were prepared to be arrested on our behalf, who demonstrated on our behalf, who boycotted on our behalf, well, they changed the moral climate to such an extent that Congress passed the anti-apartheid legislation, and they even managed a veto override, which was fantastic."
Desmond Tutu: 'Is Violence Ever Justified?'
youtube.com/watch?v=-M8wrQXIZmQ
**
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
"I always consider myself a follower of Mahatma Gandhiji.
"For me Mahatma Gandhi symbolizes Ahimsa, or non-violence, as well as Karuna, or compassion. One of my main commitments today is to promote these two principles.
"The world needs Mahatma Gandhiji's teachings and practice of non-violence. Many problems in the world today are of our own creation. Whenever we see a problem, our first reaction is to ask how to tackle this by force. That's totally wrong. Violence may be a sincere motivation, but the method is wrong. Violence is mutual destruction. In human history, the weapon has become very important. That is the outdated way."
In the forward to the Thich Naht Hanh's book, Peace is Every Step the Dalai Lama discusses the importance of becoming a more compassionate, mindful, and peaceful person and the ripples that our actions have on the larger scale. He says:
"Although attempting to bring about world peace through the internal transformation of individuals is difficult, it is the only way. Wherever I go, I express this, and I am encouraged that people from many different walks of life receive it well.
"Peace must first be developed within an individual. And I believe that love, compassion, and altruism are the fundamental basis for peace. Once these qualities are developed within an individual, he or she is then able to create an atmosphere of peace and harmony. This atmosphere can be expanded and extended from the individual to his family, from the family to the community and eventually to the whole world."
The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
youtube.com/watch?v=Lnad7ejKOXU
**
Vimala Thakar
"A tender, loving concern for all living creatures will need to arise and reign in our hearts, if any of us are to survive. And our lives will be truly blessed only when the misery of one is genuinely felt to be the misery of all. The force of love is the force of total revolution. It is the unreleased force, unknown and unexplored as a dynamic of change."
From Wikipedia:
Vimala Thakar's philosophy was influenced by the nonviolent social change philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. She sought to reconcile the often-separated worlds of spirituality and social action, arguing that in fact each is indispensable to the other:
"In this era, to become a spiritual inquirer without social consciousness is a luxury that we can ill afford, and to be a social activist without a scientific understanding of the inner workings of the mind is the worst folly. Neither approach in isolation has had any significant success."
Conclusion
Fruitfulness vs. Effectiveness
Citing the mixed results that nonviolent social change movements have achieved, one can always argue against their effectiveness. Yet, from a social science perspective, evidence has been mounting over the last century that nonviolence may be more effective than violence. One study from 2011 assembled a comprehensive data set of 323 violent and nonviolent campaigns between 1900 and 2006; it found that nonviolent campaigns were nearly twice as likely to achieve full or partial success as were violent campaigns.
However, there is another way of looking at civil resistance: substituting the concept of effectiveness with that of "fruitfulness" - the idea of fruitfulness being an agricultural metaphor. Without diminishing the importance of affecting oppressive social institutions in the present, fruitfulness includes the reality that nonviolent action is taking place within a context of some 5,000 years of authoritarian systems - (see Power Matters, 1 and 2).
Nonviolent social action, in addition to the goal of changing current conditions, will also be planting seeds of a new way of being and this growth process takes time. Such seeds are evident in the effect that Gandhi's ideas and actions have exerted on future leaders - in the U.S., Vietnam, Burma, South Africa and Tibet.
At the same time, we must recognize the inevitability that advances will be followed by reverses. The social climate in which we are living makes this inevitable. As Riane Eisler put it:
"In the last few centuries, the partial shift from a dominator to a partnership society has partly freed humanity, allowing some movement toward a more just and equalitarian society. But at the same time there has been a strong countermovement both on the left and the right, to more deeply entrench the dominator society."
Given the advance of authoritarianism and oligarchy across the planet in the present era, we should expect that the transformation of society will involve more than one generation. We need to be in it for the long haul.
Gandhi found a way of mobilizing the courage, integrity, the activism of large numbers of people. Will we be able to do the same in our time: to arouse the moral courage of the many in the face of control by the few? It is uncertain. Gandhi suggested that the most fruitful approach is offering our full and passionate effort without clinging to the result. As Gandhi put it: "Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment; full effort is full victory."
It is also essential to recognize that the transformation of self is embedded in and integral to "soul force." This transformation can be described as a secret weapon, a movement from self to selflessness in the best sense - the offering of our life to something higher than ourselves.
Gandhi:
"There comes a time when an individual becomes irresistible and his action becomes all-pervasive in its effects. This comes when he reduces himself to zero."
Or as is said in the Tao Te Ching: "The great [person] does nothing, yet nothing remains undone."
Resources
Alan Clements, Instinct for Freedom.
Denise Breton and Christopher Largent, The Paradigm Conspiracy.
John Dean, Conservatives without Conscience.
Thom Hartmann, The Hidden History of Oligarchy.
--- Hartmann, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight.
Joanna Macy, Active Hope.
--- Macy, Despair and Empowerment in the Nuclear Age.
Psychology Today, "Toward a Psychology of Nonviolence," Harry Murray, Mikhail Lyubansky, Kit Miller and Lilyana Ortega.
Philip Slater, The Chrysalis Effect.
--- Slater, A Dream Deferred.
Gary Zukav, Seat of the Soul.
(Article changed on Dec 19, 2024 at 3:46 PM EST)
(Article changed on Dec 20, 2024 at 1:57 AM EST)
(Article changed on Dec 20, 2024 at 4:50 PM EST)
2
2
1
Post Article Comment and Rate This Article
