Nonviolence is both simple and multifacetted - it simply describes a clear method of action, but the more that one examines it, the more there is to be discovered.
Nonviolence is defined by what it is not: it quite simply is not violence. And when violence is defined as the objectification of a person - when one's liberty is denied - violence can be seen in its many forms: racial, religious, sexual, economic, as well as emotional, psychological and physical.
Nonviolence is an aspiration - a direction to aim for. It can be a guide for both personal action as well as social action.
Through recociliation non violence can also affect the past - not that it changes what happened in the past, but by understanding, it changes how the past affects the present and future - both at a personal level and social level.
What is Active Nonviolence?
The Romans had a saying: "If you want peace, prepare for war." Everybody says they want peace, but so often this talk of peace leads to war. The current conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere are only the latest examples in a very long list of going to war in the name of bringing peace. No wonder a growing number of people all over the word are saying, "Enough! War is a Disaster!"
Peace cannot be built through violence. Rather we must build a peaceful world through the power of nonviolence.
"Nonviolence" is an attitude towards life whose key feature is the rejection of all forms of violence. Its methodology of action is "active nonviolence." This methodology promotes a profound transformation of the social conditions leading to suffering and violence in human beings. Its most famous historical figures are Leon Tolstoy, Gandhi and Martin Luther King – precursors and well-known examples of nonviolent struggle against institutionalized violence.
In contrast, Violence is anything that dehumanizes or objectifies people. With this definition we can see how physical violence is really only one type of violence. In fact it is usually only the final expression of violence, once other types of violence have already been applied.
Physical Violence occurs when pain and injury are inflicted upon the body. For example: war, homicide, starvation, assault, torture, etc.
Economic Violence occurs when people are harmed through their economic situation, when their basic needs are threatened, when legitimate earnings and property are appropriated. For ex: poverty, exploitation, monopolization, theft, usury, fraud, etc.
Religious Violence occurs when someone harms others because of their religious beliefs, or a lack thereof. For ex.: intolerance, fanaticism, fundamentalism, holy wars, 'official' religion, etc.
Racial Violence occurs when someone is discriminated against because their physical appearance is different from someone else’s. For ex.: segregation, supremacist theories, stereotyping, etc.
Sexual Violence occurs when others are harmed or discriminated against because of their sex or sexual orientation.
Psychological Violence occurs when people are harmed psychologically, mentally, morally or emotionally. For ex.: threats, imposition of ideologies, customs, lifestyles; negative or false propaganda; censorship; dis/misinformation, etc.
Every day, there are thousands of examples of nonviolent action carried out around the world at all different levels, in which individuals, institutions and organizations work to expose and eradicate the various forms of violence in society, and to promote peace. Organized, united and participative active nonviolence is the only force capable of changing the violent and inhuman direction of so many developments in the world today.
The path of nonviolence is the path of humanizing ourselves and those around us, even when we are in disagreement and conflict. Nonviolence is the path of the courageous, and the only true path to peace.
"In this age of the atom bomb, unadulterated nonviolence is the only force that can confound all the tricks of violence put together." - Gandhi
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