Martin Luther King- Six Principals Of Nonviolence

[G_j]

it's helpful to remember when violence is a concern, the work of MLK Jr. who faced more hate and violence than most of us ever will.


Martin Luther King- Six Principals Of Nonviolence

www.thekingcenter.org

Derived from "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence" in Dr. King's book Stride Toward Freedom, Harper & Row, 1958.

Martin Luther King- Six Principals Of Nonviolence

Six Principles of Nonviolence

--Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. It is active nonviolent resistance to evil...

--Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. The end result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation...

--Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people. Nonviolence recognizes that evil doers are also victims.

--Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform. Nonviolence willingly accepts the consequences of its acts...

--Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as the body. Nonviolent love is active, not passive. Nonviolent love does not sink to the level of the hater. Love restores community and resists injustice.

--Nonviolence recognizes the fact that all life is interrelated.
Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win.

Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change

--Information Gathering: In order to understand and articulate the issue, problem or injustice facing the community, you much first research, investigate and gather all vital information that will increase your understanding of the problem. Know all sides of the issue, including the other party's position.

--Education: It is essential to inform others about your issue. This minimizes misunderstandings, and gains you support and sympathy.

--Personal Commitment: Eliminate hidden motives and prepare yourself to accept suffering, if necessary, in your work for justice.

--Negotiation: Using grace, humor and intelligence, confront the other party with a list of injustices and a plan for addressing and resolving these injustices. Nonviolent communication does not seek to humiliate, but to call forth the good in an opponent.

--Direct Action: Used to morally force the opponent to work with you in resolving the injustices, direct action imposes a "creative tension" into the conflict.

--Reconciliation: Nonviolence does not seek to defeat the opponent, but to seek his/her friendship and understanding. It is directed against evil systems, forces, policies and acts not against persons.

[gratuitous]

1. Yeah, but that takes such a long time!

And blowing stuff up is so immediate and accessible.

[atreides1]

2. That was then, This is now

Information Gathering: Well the only information that they are interested in gathering is that provided by Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, O'Reilly, and the other talking heads that they are willing to listen too.

Education: You can provide these people with all of the facts until the cows come home, it won't matter. Unless Sarah Palin or Joe the Plumber tell them that it's true, they won't accept it

Personal Commitment: Well that's the rub? Who's willing to suffer pain and possible death?

Negotiation: It only works if the other side is willing to listen and then discuss the differences raised. So far they've shown that they are not willing to negotiate, just shout people down.

Direct Action: I don't think so. The other side has already shown that they are morally bankrupt. As long as they have theirs, why should they care about anyone else.

Reconciliation: They don't want to be your friend and they seem to be perfectly happy with their own definition of understanding. The evil forces are the people who attend these town hall meetings.

But good luck with this.

[Liberation Angel]

3. The key is really about informing and educating the masses

lifting them up.

But these corporate fascist brownshirts are just paid idiots

they can be educated, informed, uplifted and changed

and there can be rconciliation

except for the true fascists who are the demons at the top of the BFEE

they need to be imprisoned and until that happens the hydra will never die

and the tentacles of the octopus will slither everywhere creating chaos and death

[G_j]

5. nothing has changed that much

Do you think those Klan members and the like, were more civilized than today's jerks?

[Karmadillo]

4. Thank you for posting this.

nt

[G_j]

7. YW

thanks for the kick!

:hi:

[TheKentuckian]

6. Institutional strategies aren't as effective against bullies

Hell, even in S Africa though non-violence was the eventual result, violence may have lead to a much quicker and in the end fairer results.

27 million to 3, with many of the 3 not on board. Same deal in India. Just because a way worked does not mean it was the only workable solution. That logic is flawed. History shows that violence is often an effective means of ridding one's self from an oppressor and bullies almost always have to be dealt with harshly.

Passive resistence works when you have a powerful outside interest that you can create discomfort with that can affect the given situation. Passive resistence depends on a play for sympathy. With a bully cowering and not fighting back is nothing but an invitation for more.

I'm all for giving peace a chance but eventually the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Especially, with a bully without conscience. Anyone that fails to reserve the right to fuck you up for hurting them is a fool, I don't care what Martin said.
Martin's ass got shot down like a dog and black people still, on the whole, are shit on. I'm not wholly convinced that racists and money changing segments don't still need their asses kicked. Non-violence can work in a institutional situation SOMETIMES. I'm not clear that it addresses the underlying non-systemic issues though.

The reality is that sometimes you meet violence with violence or you prepare for death. Personal death, death of ideals, death of beliefs. Some of us will chose life with some regret over death with principle.
All I see is motherfuckers dedicated to destroying the ideals of the West. I'd rather die fighting for the tomorrow we want for civilization than roll over and live under the fascism they are spending their souls on. The Universe may or may not be on the side of the just. Most of us don't have the option of waiting and seeing.

[G_j]

8. --

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

9. Thank you.

Thank you.

[ms liberty]

10. K&R; marking for later n/t

[bleever]

11. A good time to review these principles.

Thanks for posting.

[G_j]

12. many like to say MLK's views are outdated

I don't agree