“Nonviolent action, without the cooperation of the heart and the head, cannot produce the desired result.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma 5.132 The second time (of many) that I saw Sir Richard Attenborough’s epic Gandhi it was with a peace-movement friend who turned to me after a moment or two of stunned silence when it was over… read more
Tag Archives: strategic nonviolence
Humiliation Tactics and Shaming: Daily Metta
“Nonviolence is who we are.” In today’s Daily Metta video, Michael reviews the deeper dynamics of nonviolence and touches on ideas such as humiliation tactics and shaming as well as “work” vs. work while analyzing a long quote from Marshall Frady on Martin Luther King, Jr. Please add your comments below. About Daily Metta Stephanie… read more
“Civil Existence”–Daily Metta
September 30: “It should be obvious that civil resistance cannot flourish in an atmosphere of violence.” –Gandhi (Harijan, March 18, 1939) Civil resistance is not the full picture of nonviolence in the least. Gandhi knew this, and he maintained that people needed at times to find ways other than disobedience; for example, if you are… read more
“Looking beyond our successes”–Daily Metta
July 27 “There is a law of nature that a thing can be retained by the same means by which it has been acquired.” –Gandhi (Satyagraha in South Africa) Some have the impression that once nonviolence has done what they consider to be its work, they can return to using violence to uphold their victory.… read more
How to sustain a revolution
By Stephanie Van Hook (distributed by Peace Voice 1.1.12) Starting a revolution is like lighting a match; it risks becoming extinguished as quickly as it was lit. Sustaining a revolution, however, is like starting a fire, and ensuring that it has the fuel to burn as long as necessary. As an agent of change,… read more
Strategic Nonviolence
Strategic nonviolence refers to the kind of commitment that regards nonviolence as a strategy, to be adopted because it is thought to be more likely to “work” than violence (see “work” vs. work) or because violence is not a practical possibility. Strategic nonviolence, for example, still presupposes that the means can justify the ends, whereas for… read more
Principled Nonviolence
Principled nonviolence is not merely a strategy nor the recourse of the weak, it is a positive force that does not manifest its full potential until it is adopted on principle. Often its practitioners feel that it expresses something fundamental about human nature, and who they wish to become as individuals. (See strategic nonviolence.) To adopt… read more
Otpor
Otpor (resistance) was a student-led Serbian uprising, which led to the overthrow of Serbian dictator Slobodan Milošević in 2000. The Otpor campaign of civil disobedience was carefully planned with assistance from Gene Sharp and his colleagues. Otpor used nonviolent tactics including a long-term consciousness raising effort with graffiti, flyers, billboards, a rock concert, trade union… read more
