Deep Nonviolence or Strategic Nonviolence?

By Wade Lee Hudson

Many proponents of nonviolence merely affirm nonviolence as a strategy for political action rather than as a way of life. “Strategic nonviolence” seeks social change without necessarily seeking reconciliation with opponents. Nonviolent methods, including legislation, are used to impose change by force.

This approach makes sense, to a degree. Despite the best of efforts, individuals who wield great influence often hold on to their opinions and their power to the bitter end. And because most demonstrations need to be open to last-minute, short-term participation, the ground rules for those actions can’t exclude people who aren’t prepared to commit to nonviolence in their daily life. Doing so would limit how many people would participate. Insuring nonviolence for particular actions is the understandable focus for actions.

In contrast, “philosophical nonviolence” is grounded in spiritual beliefs, affirms love of opponents, aims for the realization of the humanity of all people, and seeks reconciliation rather that the defeat of one’s opponents.

In addition, proponents of “living nonviolence,” believe that because violent tendencies are learned, it is necessary to unlearn violence by practicing love and compassion at every possible opportunity. Intense anger and injury to others are forms of violence that need to be addressed. Verbal expressions intended to injure another are a form of violence. Though ideally others can learn how to avoid being hurt by what others say, in reality we often feel hurt when others are cruel or disrespectful. Nonviolent practitioners aim to minimize hurtful language. Those who use conflict resolution and nonviolent communication promote this form of nonviolence.

As I see it, Kingian Nonviolence articulates the perspectives of philosophical and living nonviolence in a powerful manner. As developed in the 1980s by Dr. Bernard Lafayette, a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and David Jehnsen,Kingian Nonviolence is “a philosophy and methodology that provides the knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary for people to pursue peaceful strategies for solving personal and community problems.” It aims to “reduce violence and promote positive peace at the personal, community, national, and global levels.” By using “skills and methodologies that people already possess,” it facilitates nonviolent conflict resolution in personal, social, and political arenas.

Kingian Nonviolence is based on the following six principles:

Principle 1: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.

It is a positive force confronting the forces of injustice and utilizes the righteous indignation and spiritual, emotional, and intellectual capabilities of people as the vital force for change and reconciliation…. Kingian Nonviolence is about taking a stand against injustice, to make a commitment to looking injustice in the face and confronting it with the power of Agape, of unconditional love for humankind...

We cannot practice our principles only when we are in activist spaces, or assume that injustice does not happen in progressive circles. Being committed to nonviolence means committing yourself to the role of peace-maker.  It means when you see violence or injustice anywhere that you are committing to acting or speaking out against it.  True nonviolence is not only a strategy or a tactic, it is a way of life. 

Principle 2: The Beloved Community is the framework for the future.

The nonviolent concept is an overall effort to achieve a reconciled world by raising the level of relationships among people to a height where justice prevails and persons attain their full human potential.... The Beloved Community was Dr. King’s vision for a reconciled society that has found true, positive peace and justice for all people.... This includes those who we currently consider to be our “enemies.” In nonviolence, our goal is not to defeat our enemy, but to win them over....

The values that make the Beloved Community possible must be reflected in our efforts to achieve it. If we use violence, fear and intimidation in our effort to make change, that will be what is reflected in the change that we create.

Principle 3: Attack forces of evil not persons doing evil.

The nonviolent approach helps one analyze the fundamental conditions, policies and practices of the conflict rather than reacting to one’s opponents or their personalities.... Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not individuals.... When we attack personalities, it makes reconciliation more difficult since attacking people often escalates a conflict.... The problem is not the people but in a culture that has accepted violence as a way to make change. 

Principle 4: Accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve a goal. 

Self-chosen suffering is redemptive and helps the movement grow in a spiritual as well as a humanitarian dimension. The moral authority of voluntary suffering for a goal communicates the concern to one’s own friends and community as well as to the opponent. Voluntary suffering can be redemptive.  It can give you strength, and inspire others to join.... Organizers in the Civil Rights movement... went through it because they had a larger goal in mind: freedom.  And they understood that violence will not get them that goal in any sustained way. 

Principle 5: Avoid internal violence of the spirit as well as external physical violence.

The nonviolent attitude permeates all aspects of the campaign.  It provides a mirror type reflection of the reality of the condition to one’s opponent and the community at large.  Specific activities must be designed to maintain a high level of spirit and morale during a nonviolent campaign.

Violence is not only a physical act.... Holding onto hate and anger is something that hurts you more than the person you hate, and is an act of internal violence that you do to yourself.... Nonviolence is not only a refusal to shoot your opponent, it’s also a refusal to hate your opponent.  If we are driven by anger, hate and a desire for vengeance, those emotions will be reflected in the change that we create.  Nonviolence is a commitment to respond to conflicts through understanding, love and true justice.

Principle 6: The Universe is on the side of justice.

Truth is universal and human society and each human being is oriented to the just sense of order of the universe.  The fundamental values in all of the world’s great religions include the concept that the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice. For the nonviolent practitioner, nonviolence introduces a new moral context in which nonviolence is both the means and the ends....

The problem in our society is that we invest so much in violence – wars, prisons, violent entertainment.  With all the investment we make in violence, it should be no surprise that we see so much violence and injustice in our society.  With all the investment we make in violence, it is our karma that we live in such a violent society. We need to invest in peace, and invest in justice.  If we can invest more time, more resources, and more action into peace and justice, we will ultimately begin to see those returns.

The “Six Steps of Kingian Nonviolence" offers guidelines for putting these thoughts into practice:

Step 1: Information Gathering
The way you determine the facts, the options for change, and the timing of pressure for raising the issue is a collective process.

Step 2: Education
Is the process of developing articulate leaders who are knowledgeable about the issue.

Step 3: Personal Commitment
Means looking at your internal and external involvement in the nonviolent campaign and preparing yourself for long-term as well as short term action.

Step 4: Negotiation
Is the art of bring together your views and those of your opponent to arrive at a just conclusion or clarify the unresolved issues, at which point the conflict is formalized.

Step 5: Direct Action
Occurs when negotiations have broken down or failed to produce a just response to the contested issues and conditions.

Step 6: Reconciliation
Is the mandatory closing step of a campaign, when the opponents and proponents celebrate the victory and provide joint leadership to implement the change.

Philosophical and living nonviolence also make sense to me. To my mind, all three forms of nonviolence can be integrated into what I call “deep nonviolence.” The leaders of a campaign to improve public policy can build a leadership team based on philosophical and living nonviolence without demanding that every participant in the campaign embrace their worldview. They can foster a loving community among themselves that enables them to be more effective in their political work. They can attract others with contagious happiness, serve as examples, and encourage others to practice nonviolence more fully, without requiring it.

By adopting a compassionate tone in one’s rhetoric and avoiding the demonization of opponents, they can conduct themselves in a manner that increases the chances of achieving reconciliation. At the same time, however, they can accept that at times legislation and other forms of nonviolent force are justified, as did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he accepted the introduction of Federal troops into Little Rock to assure the integration of schools there. So deep nonviolence slightly modifies Kingian Nonviolence in two ways: 1) not insisting that reconciliation be the “mandatory” final step of a campaign and 2) seeking a reconciliation that could lead each side to “win over” the other side in certain ways.

As I see it, steps two and three in Kingian Nonviolence, education and personal commitment, are best achieved within the context of a community rooted in peer learning and mutual support. Spiritual preparation is an ongoing, never-ending process. To avoid being “driven by anger, hate and a desire for vengeance” and instead be grounded in “a commitment to respond to conflicts through understanding, love and true justice” is no easy task. Staying in touch with the life force that energizes and structures the universe can be helpful in this regard.

This preparation, it seems to me, would best incorporate the following elements:

Be explicit. The growth of community benefits from expressing core principles in writing and asking members to embrace those principles. Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. King, for example, used “nonviolence pledges” to strengthen personal development.

Accountability. Informal, natural, spontaneous friendships develop with many activists and should be encouraged. These relationships often provide valuable support that enhance personal development. But with activists who take on major, urgent goals, it’s easy to forget about the need for personal development and mutual support. Simple structures can help remind activists to work on their personal development. One example would be to ask members to report briefly on their recent personal development efforts. Even if done only once a month, this activity could serve to remind members of their commitment.

Accept the need for trust. Being open and honest about mistakes and weaknesses is a delicate matter. Most people understandably need to trust that others will not use admissions against them or report on comments incorrectly or out of context in a way that is hurtful. Pledges of confidentiality can help in this regard. It can also be helpful to accept that such revelations will only occur in small groups that form among people who are comfortable with one another.

Avoid arrogance.  It’s easy to assume that one has “the answer” and needs to convert others. “Transformed people transform people,” for example, is a formulation that suggests this kind of elitism, as is the belief that some people have reached a “higher level” of awareness. But all of us are “looking through a glass darkly.” What we don’t know far exceeds what we do know and each of us can learn from anyone at any time.

Foster Ongoing Growth. Gandhi affirmed “evolutionary revolution,” rather than sudden, forceful overthrow of the old order. Focusing on achievable, never-ending growth can improve lives and living conditions in important ways. This perspective applies to individuals as well as societies. A simple shift in priorities or perspective can lead to dramatic improvements, while keeping many pre-existing structures and values. 

Acceptance. By accepting those conditions that we cannot change, focusing instead on what we can change, and trusting that the Universe will take care of Herself, we can better maintain a peaceful, positive, compassionate attitude that enables us to be present with others and responsive to who they really are. Rather than trying to make others over in our own image with pressure or persuasion, we can concentrate on being creative and constructive in our own lives, without needing others to do what we want them to do.

In these ways, social-change activists can better cultivate inner peace and social harmony among themselves. Doing so strengthens their efforts and demonstrates that others can engage in similar efforts to create a new society that is much different and greatly improved.