“I would use the most deadly weapons, if I believed that they would destroy it [the British Raj]. I refrain only because the use of such weapons would only perpetuate the system though it may destroy its present administrators.” ~ Gandhi, Young India, 17-3-1927, p. 85 It would be hard to think of a more… read more
Tag Archives: tactics
“What’s the strategy here?”–Daily Metta
November 1: “We often make terrible mistakes by copying bad examples.” –Gandhi (Young India, February 16, 1921) There, he said it and I’m glad. People, especially if they’re new to activism, have a tendency to copy tactics that they see others have used, but it’s harder to look beneath those tactics to the strategy they… read more
Yeb Sano’s fast for the climate offers sanity amid the madness of global inaction
Filipino lead negotiator Yeb Sano undertook a 13-day fast for the climate at the U.N. climate talks in Warsaw. (350.org) By Philip Wight. Originally posted on Waging Nonviolence, November 25th, 2013. Less than two weeks ago, Filipino climate negotiator Yeb Saño delivered a landmark speech on climate change. Speaking before delegates of 195 nations at the 19th conference… read more
Fasting
Fasting in Satyagraha is a hunger strike undertaken in protest. It is not a fast undertaken for purification, penitence or health. The goal of this type of fast is to persuade rather than coerce. Among the tools of the Satyagrahi, Gandhi considered fasting the ultimate, and one that should not be entered upon lightly. Gandhi carried out… read more
Coercion vs. Persuasion
Coercion vs. persuasion is a term used to compare tactics. It is the description of two possible means to an end. Ideally, nonviolence works by opening the heart of the opponent, in other words, by persuading them to voluntarily change their belief or action. Coercion on the other hand, employs threat power so that one… read more
