Non-Violence as a Means to Positive Peace - Article Example

Non-Violence as a Means to Positive Peace Introduction Conflict typically arises when one side does a forceful act of aggression to another, and the offended side reacts with a countering force as well. This has been the way conflict goes and escalates. It is basically human nature to strike back when being struck, and it could be called as a defensive mechanism that is ingrained into human psychology. This creates the cycle of violence that occurs around every second in the world today. On the other hand, it is possible to be able to achieve more peaceful means through acts non-violence or pacifism. Pacifism could be described as the belief that all problems and situations can be solved without any act of ruthless force or violence to get a solution done. The rationale of non-violence works on the equation that if violent reaction against an offense will result to a continuation of suffering and animosity, the response to offenses should be that of peaceful passivity. This makes non-violent act of defiance has been seen as a powerful expression for noble reasons to rise to the occasion against more brutal forces. The article that this paper is being studied will review these principles of non-violent defiance through the examples from two of among history’s famous civil rights leaders. Mahatma Gandhi and the Satyagraha Born with the name Mohandes Karamchand Gandhi, he was India’s leading figure of independence and also a great model for a leader of non-violent resistance. When he studied law at South Africa, he was completely outraged by the racial discrimination that occurred against his fellow countrymen that were there, and this left a very powerful imprint on his heart and mind that drove and motivated him to help his people gain the independence it needed and to be free from anymore unjust oppression by the British imperial rule. When Gandhi returned to India after his stay in South Africa, he met with several Indian leaders to discuss the formation of a nationalist movement and for India to gain its independence. After the Amritsar Massacre, in which more than a hundred Indians were killed during a protest, Gandhi decided that a non-cooperation movement should begin and that there must be a nationwide Satyagraha. Satyagraha could be defined as a peaceful resistance, or an act of pacifistic rebellion. As Barash and Webel (2008) pointed: This served to highlight the difference between the steadfast nonviolence of Gandhi’s followers and the relative brutality of the colonial government; it also moved Gandhi to refine his techniques of satyagraha. In particular, he took the great Sanskrit epic, the Bhagavad Gita, to be an allegory not about war but about the human soul and the need for all people to devote themselves, unselfishly, to the attainment of their goals. He urged that for real success, it is necessary to “reduce yourself to zero”—that is, to remove the self-will and striving for personal aggrandizement that so often leads to arrogance or even tyranny (p.459). Gandhi believed that resisting from the British rule without fighting back with force or violence would eventually break the patience of India’s colonial rulers that it will have to concede. Gandhi knew very well that despite the initial high-handed aloofness and callous reaction of the British, it will come to a point that British reputation will be put into question as their civilized pride would be put into the line and would have to concede due to guilt. Satyagraha was then the peaceful “weapon” Gandhi and his followers would use against the club, swords and firearms of the British. Eventually this paid off successfully, even though Gandhi was assassinated by his own Sikh bodyguard. Barash and Webel (2008) concluded that India gained much independence since “Gandhi had accomplished what many thought impossible: gaining independence for a country of 400 million people, firing a shot” (p.459). Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Disobedience African American civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. was deeply influenced by Gandhi’s concept and practice of Satyagraha. In the setting of King Jr., the issue of racial discrimination was just as prevalent as that during Gandhi’s time. It should be taken into consideration, however, that while Gandhi was fighting a peaceful war for the independence of his people; King Jr. was fighting for the civil liberties of his fellow African Americans. It has been a long and difficult road for African Americans to be treated fairly under the eyes of US democratic principles and laws, and King Jr. saw to it that the civil rights of African Americans be fought for without the use of violence as well and that civil disobedience pay respect to peace and civility at all times. Barash and Webel (2008) stated: It is no small task, though, to separate hatred of offenses—or of offending institutions—from hatred of the offenders: to hate murder but love the murderer, to hate oppression but not the oppressor, to hate torture but not the torturer. In this, King once again revealed himself a disciple of Gandhi, showing uncompromising respect, even love, for his opponents, while being equally uncompromising in pursuit of the Truth as he saw it (p.467). It should also be noted that during this time, media coverage can be used as a powerful tool in expressing and spreading a message quickly and to a wider audience. King Jr. used this to help gather crowds who felt cause to support the civil rights movement, and he also used it to help spread the message of solidarity and fairness among all people from different races. It was because of this that the civil rights movement in the United States succeeded and that racial discrimination was drastically overthrown from US society. Reference Barash, D.P. and Webel, C.P. (2008) Peace and conflict studies. California: Sage Publications. Read More