Healing Resistance

1. Nonviolence is a courageous way of life, not passive inaction

Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.

Courage, not cowardice. Nonviolence requires actively standing up to injustice, not passively accepting abuse. It takes more bravery to face violence without retaliating than to fight back. Nonviolence means courageously sticking your head out and risking anger, defensiveness, or retaliatory violence to stand up for what's right.

A proactive approach. Nonviolence is about doing something to transform violence and conflict, not inaction out of fear. It requires training to develop the skills and strength to respond nonviolently in the heat of conflict. Practitioners view nonviolence as a martial art requiring consistent practice to integrate into one's default responses.

A lifelong commitment. Nonviolence is not a switch turned on only for protests. It's a way of life practiced in every interaction to cultivate courage, love, and understanding. Like meditation, it requires constant recommitment and practice to embody nonviolence as a worldview and skill set.

2. Beloved Community is the ultimate goal of nonviolent action

Beloved Community acknowledges that we are all connected and dependent on each other.

Universal inclusion. Beloved Community means cultivating love for those difficult to love, including oppressors. It acknowledges no one is outside the circle of human dignity. This requires seeing the humanity in everyone, even those who have caused great harm.

Interconnectedness. We are all part of an "inescapable network of mutuality." Our liberation and healing are bound up together. The best way to protect those we love is to love those who may hurt them.

A framework, not a destination. Beloved Community serves as the North Star guiding nonviolent action. While we may need to take steps away from it to overcome immediate obstacles, it remains the ultimate goal we continually move towards.

3. Attack forces of evil, not people doing evil

People are never the enemy; injustice is.

Separate the deed from the doer. Focus on transforming unjust systems and worldviews, not attacking individuals. This allows space for people to change and doesn't sow seeds of future conflict.

Understand root causes. Violence often stems from unhealed trauma, fear, or ignorance. Seek to understand the forces that drive harmful behavior to address them at their source.

Strategic empathy. Trying to understand opponents' perspectives is not just about being nice; it's strategic. It provides crucial information to effectively resolve conflicts and turn people around.

4. Accept suffering without retaliation to achieve your goal

The choice one makes to accept violence for a cause takes away its power.

Self-chosen sacrifice. This principle refers to voluntarily accepting potential suffering for a cause, not passively enduring abuse. It acknowledges that standing up to injustice inherently involves risk.

Preparation is key. Accepting suffering requires training and mental preparation. Civil Rights activists underwent intense training to prepare for potential violence during demonstrations.

A powerful narrative. When movements maintain nonviolence in the face of state repression, it exposes injustice and can awaken the conscience of a nation. This narrative becomes a powerful weapon for change.

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

Hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

Internal violence harms the self. Hatred, resentment, and despair are forms of internal violence that weigh us down. Letting go of these is an act of self-liberation.

Healing is strategic. Movements need to take healing seriously. Unprocessed trauma can lead to toxic activist spaces and limit effectiveness. Creating spaces for people to process pain and build authentic relationships is strategic.

Practices for resilience. Movements need intentional practices to combat internal violence and maintain commitment. This could include singing, meditation, prayer, or other forms of spiritual renewal tailored to the group.

6. The universe is on the side of justice in the long run

Dr. King taught, "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."

A long-term perspective. This principle is about faith, patience, and perspective. It recognizes that the arc of history is long, but bends towards justice. This faith sustains activists through setbacks.

Justice as balance. One way to understand this principle is to see justice as the universe's tendency towards balance and order. Investing in systems of violence yields violent returns; investing in peace yields peaceful returns.

Ends and means are one. The way we pursue change will be reflected in the change we create. Using violence or hatred to pursue justice will only sow seeds of future conflict.

7. Information gathering and education are crucial first steps

If we don't understand the issue well enough to develop concrete demands for changes in policy, procedure, and the law.

Comprehensive research. Gather facts from all perspectives to fully understand the conflict. This includes understanding opponents' viewpoints, even if you disagree.

Strategic analysis. Use tools like Power Mapping, Spectrum of Allies, and Pillars of Support to analyze the situation and develop effective strategies.

Education as inspiration. Education in nonviolent movements is not just about sharing information, but inspiring hope and empowering people to act. It's about reminding people of their inherent worth and power.

8. Personal commitment and self-purification are necessary

Healed people heal people.

Ongoing practice. Personal commitment is not a one-time decision, but an ongoing practice of recommitment and self-purification.

Healing trauma. Self-purification involves healing our own traumas and internal violence to show up more authentically in the work.

Building resilience. Develop practices to maintain commitment and combat internal violence, such as meditation, prayer, or singing.

9. Negotiation should precede direct action when possible

A commitment to negotiation in a nonviolent context is ultimately a commitment to dialogue and relationship rather than competition and separation.

Dialogue, not debate. Approach negotiations with a commitment to understanding, not winning. Listen to understand, not to find holes in arguments.

Win-win solutions. Seek solutions where both sides gain something and can walk away with dignity intact.

Power dynamics. Recognize that genuine negotiation requires relative equality of power. Sometimes direct action is necessary to create conditions for real negotiation.

10. Direct action creates crisis to force negotiation

Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.

Strategic disruption. Direct action aims to dramatize issues and create leverage for negotiation. It's not an end in itself, but a tool to achieve goals.

Clarity of purpose. Be clear about the goals of direct action. Is it to educate, create leverage, or provide space for community mourning?

Disruption, not destruction. While direct actions may surface conflict and be uncomfortable, they should ultimately bring us closer to healing relationships, not severing them.

11. Reconciliation is the mandatory final step of nonviolent campaigns

Resolution feels like the end of something, whereas reconciliation feels like an ongoing relationship.

Prerequisites for reconciliation:

• Forgiveness (requires grief + empathy)
• Accountability (requires remorse + insight + amends)

A process, not a destination. Reconciliation is ongoing work to strengthen relationships, not a prescribed endpoint.

Individual and collective healing. Reconciliation involves both personal healing processes and addressing collective harms and injustices.

Last updated: October 6, 2024