Brief history of non-violence
To start off this workshop we will
see a presentation on the history of non-violence, the individuals and groups
who have strongly influenced the world.
In particular we will highlight the way many of the most prominent
actors were inspired by the examples of previous protagonists.
The presentation is not exhaustive
and many people, lesser known in certain parts of the world than in others have
also made important contributions. As we
carry-out this workshop over time and in different parts of the world we will
expand the list to give a broader perspective to the genealogy of non-violence.
Each one of us here is potentially
the next branch on the non-violence family tree.
These are some historical figures
and currents of thought that appear in the family tree of the non-violent
movement. To study their ideas and actions is to come into contact with the
process of choosing non violence as a methodology for action. Some of the
characters may not have existed in the form that reaches us, but whatever their
reality, they are important as part of the chain of inspiration and models.
Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton), Ancient Egypt
In the l4th century B.C. this
Pharaoh led a dramatic revolution, establishing a monotheistic religion and
political changes based on peace and social justice.
“If thou be industrious to procure wealth, be
generous in the disposal of it. Man never is so happy as when he giveth
happiness unto another."
Zarathustra. Persia
1200 or 600 AC? in Persia, the
young Zarathustra (said to be born from a virgin) began to preach that there
was only one true God and saviour, Ahura Mazda (Lord of Wisdom). This gave
birth to Zorastrianism as a religion. He opened the road for our present day
monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Through the Parsis
he also had influence on Hinduism and Buddhism.
His teachings: “Think well, do good, speak the truth”. An ethics of
personal responsibility: “There is only one way to fight evil, by increasing
kindness, and only one way to fight against darkness, by expanding the light.
In the same way, only by broadening love and not fighting and opposing one
another we can eliminate hatred and enmity.”
Jainism: Ahinsa. India
Jainism was born in India about
the same period as Buddhism. It was established by Mahavira (c. 599 - 527 BC)
in about 500 B.C. Mahavira like Buddha belonged to the warrior caste. Mahavira
was called ‘Jina’ meaning the big winner and from this name was derived the
name of the religion.
In many senses Jainism is similar
to Buddhism. Both developed as a dissension to the Brahmanic philosophy that
was dominant during that period in north-east India. Both share a belief in
reincarnation which eventually leads to liberation. Jainism is different to
Buddhism in its ascetic beliefs. Both these religions emphasize non-violence, but
non-violence is the main core in Jainism.
Jain scriptures list 108 forms of
violence!
Gautama Buddha, India
Born a Prince his father attempted
to keep him in the Palace, away from all suffering and given to unlimited
pleasure. In his youth he walked on the world where he was shocked to see so
much sorrow in the form of old age, illness and death. He attempted to reach
spiritual development through the known ascetic ways of the time but in failing
to do so he developed the “middle path” and communicated it to his disciples.
He propounded the philosophy of
non-violence, universal love and peace 2,500 years ago. Emperor Ashoka Maurya
from India gave this pacifist philosophy official recognition in the 3rd
century B.C. and sent Buddhist missionaries to the far-east and central Asia.
For this initiative in spreading the message of peace and non-violence, he is
remembered not only by Indians but by pacifists all around the globe.
King Asoka, India
His edicts, based on Ahinsa are
mainly concerned with the reforms he instituted and the moral principles he
recommended in his attempt to create a just and humane society. He was born in
India in 304 B.C. Eight years after his coronation, Asoka's armies attacked and
conquered Kalinga. The loss of life caused by battle, reprisals, deportations
and the turmoil that always exists in the aftermath of war so horrified Asoka
that it brought about a complete change in his personality. After the war Asoka dedicated the rest of his
life trying to apply Buddhist principles to the administration of his vast
empire. He had a crucial part to play in
helping Buddhism to spread both throughout India and abroad. Asoka died in 232
B.C. in the thirty-eighth year of his reign.
Plato. Ancient Greece
427 BC. In both the Republic and the Laws, Plato asserts not only that factionalism and civil war are the greatest dangers to the city, but also that peace obtained by the victory of one part and the destruction of its rivals is not to be preferred to social peace obtained through the friendship and cooperation of all the city’s parts. Peace for Plato is not a status quo notion, related to the interest of the privileged group, but a value that most people usually desire. He does not stand for war and the victory of one class, but for peace in social diversity.The Talmud (Jewish Sacred text)
“Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world; and whoever rescues a single life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the entire world.” (This passage is also in the Koran).“For the sake of peace one may lie, but peace itself should never be a lie.”
Jesus Christ, Ancient Judea
Here are some of the non-violent
teachings attributed to him in the writings of the Apostles
“Put your sword in its place, for
all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).
"You have learnt how it was
said: 'Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.' But I say to you, Offer the wicked man
no resistance. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;
if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as
well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him." Mt.
5.38-41
"If there is one of you who
has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." John. 8.7
Baha'i Faith
"I
charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart
on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger
thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more
powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all
harmony, well-being, restfulness and content. Thoughts of love are
constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship, and happiness. Abdu'l-Baha
Islam & Sufism
Ibn Arabi’s doctrine is that the entire universe is
His manifestation. This leads to demolition of barriers between people of one
religion and the other. Thus peace, friendship and love have been at the centre
of this school of sufism
Mansur Al-Hallaj (martyred in 922). exposed the
psychospiritual doctrine of “two natures”.
Sufis resist the notion that religious authority
should be based on titles and offices. Rather, Sufi teachers gain acceptance
and support by their insights and capacity for transmission of enlightenment to
their students.
The history of Sufism is filled with examples of
interfaith co-operation
Toplitzin-Quetzalcóatl. Mesoamerica.
Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl, king of Tollan
lived between the years 947 and 999 of the Christian era, one of the highest
moments in the Meso-American civilization. He inspired, with his ideas and
practices a culture called "Toltecayotl" or "Tolteca" that
means in Nahuatl: "Learned people". Quetzalcóatl, transmitted his
teachings to his people based in the rejection of human sacrifices and all
forms of violence. During the period that he governed Tollan it reached the
highest moment of Civilization, developing the arts and knowledge. He also
developed a creative school, based on teachings of "How man becomes God" by means of different
practices and disciplines, based on meditation about oneself and the service to
others as well as the relationship between human life and the universe to
overcome darkness and contradictions in the human being.
He went on pilgrimage to Mayan lands, where he was
known by the name of Kukulkán, spreading his teachings and influence shown
clearly in the main pyramid of Txitxen Itzá dedicated to the "feathered
snake".
The Aztecs betrayed his teachings adoring the God
Huitzilopochtli, God of War trying to destroy all vestige of the Tolteca
Culture in the valley of Mexico
Laura Cereta, a Renaissance Feminist. Italy
15th century writer who stressed the emotions in a genre (criticism)
long assumed to be the domain of the rational faculties only attempted to
reconstruct and redefine the concept of gender, proposing mutual support of
women by women and the idea of a community of women, she saw housework as a
barrier to women's literary aspirations and held that “all human beings, women
included, are born with the right to an education” and raised the mainstreaming
of women's writing into genres and venues that were once for men only and
searched for ways to give access to women to public life.
Bartolomé de Las Casas (1484-1566). Spain-Mexico
Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, dedicated his life to
the defence of indigenous peoples is today seen as one of the precursors of the
theory and practice of Human Rights.
A Spanish colonist, a priest, founder of a Utopian
community and first Bishop of Chiapas, was a scholar, historian and 16th
century human rights advocate. He has been called the Father of
anti-imperialism and anti-racism
George Fox, founder of the Quakers. UK
1624 –1691. Living in a time of great social
upheaval, he rebelled against the religious and political consensus by
proposing an unusual and uncompromising approach to the Christian faith.
It was as early as the 1600s that Quakers began
their fight against slavery, and thus the beginning of the abolitionist
movement.
On Non-Violence: "We utterly deny all outward
wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any
pretence whatsoever, and this is our testimony to the whole world." Quaker
statement to King Charles II, 1660
"A good
end cannot sanctify evil means; nor must we ever do evil, that good may come of
it. “ William Penn, 1693
Tom Paine. UK
Poverty, they suggested, is unacceptable and
something that should and could be eliminated.
Paine 1737-1809 born in England, fought for
American independence. His book The Rights of Man was published in UK in
1792. It was banned for its antiestablishment stance, but became a best seller.
He opposed slavery and was amongst the earliest proponents of social security,
universal free public education and a guaranteed minimum wage.
Mary Wollstonecraft. UK
She described the process by which parents brought
their daughters up to be docile and domesticated.
She maintained that if girls were encouraged from
an early age to develop their minds, it would be seen that they were rational
creatures and there was no reason whatsoever for them not to be given the same
opportunities as boys with regard to education and training.
Women could enter the professions and have careers
just the same as men. (“A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” published during
the French Revolution)
She died in childbirth (her daughter Mary Shelly
then wrote Frankenstein)
Immanuel Kant. Germany
In 1795 Kant published an essay entitled
"Toward Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch." In his view the
Treaty of Basel between Prussia and France, was
only "the suspension of hostilities, not a peace.“
In the essay, Kant argues that it is humankind's
immediate duty to solve the problem of violence and enter into the cosmopolitan
ideal of a universal community of all peoples governed by the rule of law.
Kant believed that peace could be gradually
extended. The first step was for States to become Republican. As a second step,
all Republican States would join a federation. One day, this federation would
embrace all States of the earth.
He is considered to be the inspiration for the
creation of the League of Nations as the way to end all wars.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), US
US essayist, poet, and practical
philosopher, renowned for having lived the doctrines of Transcendentalism (that
was amongst other things concerned with the end of slavery) as recorded in his
masterwork, Walden (1854), and for having been a vigorous advocate of civil
liberties, as evidenced in the essay “Civil Disobedience” (1849). “One has a
moral obligation to refuse to cooperate with an unjust social system.”
Leon Tolstoy (1828 –1910), Russia
He was a Russian novelist,
reformer, pacifist and moral thinker, notable for his ideas on non-violent
resistance. He was born into the aristocracy but renounced its privileges.
Tolstoy's Christian beliefs were
based on the Sermon on the Mount, and particularly on the comment about turning
your cheek, which he saw as a justification of pacifism. These beliefs came out
of a middle aged crisis that began with a depression so severe that if he saw a
rope it made him think of hanging himself, and he had to hide his guns to stop
himself committing suicide.
Yet out of this depression came
his radical and very original new ideas about Christianity. He believed that a
Christian should look inside his or her own heart to find inner happiness
rather than looking outward toward the church or state. His belief in non-violence when facing
oppression is another distinct attribute of his philosophy. By directly influencing Mohandas Gandhi with
this idea Tolstoy has had a huge influence on the non-violent resistance
movement to this day. He believed that
the aristocracy was a burden on the poor, and that the only solution to how we
live together is through anarchy. He
also opposed private property and the institution of marriage and valued the
ideals of chastity and sexual abstinence.
In one of his letters, Tolstoy
noted that Thoreau had about written Civil Disobedience fifty years previously.
He claims to have been influenced by the
Quakers and the anti-slavery movement in the United States.
The Moriori. Chatham Islands, New Zealand
As a small and precarious
population, Moriori embraced a pacifist culture that rigidly avoided warfare,
substituting it with dispute resolution in the form of ritual fighting and
conciliation. The ban on warfare and cannibalism is attributed to their
ancestor Nunuku-whenua.
Today, in spite of the
difficulties and genocide that Moriori faced, with unrelenting stoicism and
peaceful resignation, Moriori are enjoying a renaissance, both on Rekohu (their
island) and in mainland New Zealand
Mohandas K Gandhi (1869 - 1948), India
In 1889 Gandhi went to England to
study law, and was graduated from the Inner Temple of London. While he was in
England, a number of vegetarian friends who formed his support group persuaded
Gandhi to study Indian religions and literature.
When he returned to India,
however, he could not find a job; so he accepted an offer to go to South
Africa. He was hired to serve as a lawyer to a rich Indian merchant who had
settled there. While travelling in South Africa to his place of employment,
Gandhi was madly mistreated by the white officials of the railway company
because of his skin colour. As a result of this incident, Gandhi began to think
about the treatment of minorities and what could be done to improve the
situation. In those days, apartheid, or racial segregation, was the law and
policy of the government of South Africa. So after Gandhi settled his
employer's legal matters, he began to organize the Indian community to demand
their civil rights.
During his 20 years in South
Africa, Gandhi developed his principles of non-violent resistance. He led this
struggle in non-violent confrontations with the government. The rules of
non-violent resistance that he laid down are:
1. No
hitting back (no retaliation),
2. Endure
personal pain and suffering, even death,
3. Express
love and forgiveness toward the oppressor, and
4. Harbour
no intent to harm or humiliate the oppressor, but rather a desire to settle
(reconcile) differences.
After gaining many civil rights
reforms, Gandhi left South Africa and returned to India in 1914. At first he
travelled widely in the country to see for himself the conditions in which the
poor lived, and to learn from them the ways in which he could help.
Then he began to protest the
British government's rule over India. He supported the farmers of the Champaran
district in their fight against the British landlords who were their
oppressors. He won a fair settlement and a good price for the farmer's produce.
He successfully mediated a labour dispute in the textile industry in the city
of Ahmedabad. When the district of Bardoli refused to pay what they considered
unfair taxes, Gandhi encouraged other districts to do the same in support,
believing that this would overthrow the British government. However, when some
of his supporters rioted and killed 22 policemen in Chauri-Chaura, Gandhi
called off the rebellion. He felt personally responsible for the killings, and
he did not want to kill the British to achieve peace and justice for his
people. He believed that killing to get what you want was wrong, and he chose
to fail, rather than achieve independence for India. He continued to stand by
his principles of non-violence, and earned the title of Mahatma - "The Great
Soul."
During the second World War, the
Moslem League broke from Gandhi and demanded that India be divided into two
countries - one mostly Moslem and one mostly Hindu. Since every city, town and
village had mixed populations of many religions and sects, Gandhi did not agree
with their position. He felt that this division would lead to war, and in 1947,
when the British divided the country into India and Pakistan, his prediction
came true.
During this time of civil war,
Gandhi resided in the state of Bengal, in Eastern India. He brought peace to
that part of the country. He then went to Delhi and accomplished the same thing
there, after which he planned to move to the newly created country of Pakistan
and plead for peace. But on January 30, 1948, his peaceful mission ended. He
was assassinated by a fanatic he had helped free from British rule.
“Be the change you want to see in the world”.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan - Pakistan
Islam’s great Non-Violent hero. A
deeply pious Muslim, tolerant and liberal, the Frontier Gandhi was a staunch
Congressman and a Gandhian all his life
He opposed the India-Pakistan
partition. Badshah Khan, as was also known, was a model of non-violence in a
society dominated by violence; his unswerving faith and obvious bravery led to
immense respect.
Because of his principles Badshah
Khan was repeatedly imprisoned by both the British and Pakistani governments.
He spent 33 years in prisons.
The Suffragettes
In Britain and the United States
they worked for decades to win equality in voting rights, first through calm
persuasion and, when that failed, through civil disobedience, a tactic that
protesters would adopt later. They broke street lamps, cut telephone lines and
slashed museum paintings. One suffragist threw herself under the king’s horse
during a race and was killed.
In March 1913, 5,000 women staged
a suffrage pageant in Washington, withstanding a mob's attacks until cavalry
troops intervened. "Nothing less than riots," was an associated press
correspondent's description.
Eight months later in London, a
protest at parliament became "black Friday," which a historian
described as "a battle between the police and not the unemployed, the
homeless or the destitute -- but middle- and upper-class women of all
ages." Not all agreed with the escalation or the Pankhurst style of
leadership and a number of members left the group in 1907 with Despard, Edith
How Martyn, Teresa Hillington-Greig, Octavia Lewin, and Caroline Hodgeson to
form another militant, but this time non-violent, organisation: the Women 's Freedom
League which engaged in acts of civil disobedience.
Aldo Capitini, Italy
He was during Mussolini reign very
active in covert, anti-fascism propaganda among the youth of central Italy. He
wrote a book where he stressed the infinite potentialities inherent in any
layman, since a great experience of liberation may start from an interior
process, although oppressed by a negative society; a characteristic statement
of this period is : "God is not truth, God is to choose". Although he
did not belong to any political party, his life became an example among the
Italian anti-fascists, He observed that “the fundamental question is not the
knowledge of the method but to have the will, to be open to the spirit of
non-violence”.
In 1961 he launched a peace march,
(at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis) Perugia – Assisi (28 km). For the
first time the march collected together all eminent friends of peace, although
coming from very different ideologies (philosophers as n. Bobbio and a.
Calogero were his close friends). This event started an Italian tradition: the
peace march was reiterated several times (twice in 1999) as the most important
national peace action.
Albert Einstein, Switzerland/US
Einstein believed in non-violence
and opposed World War I. As he put it,
"a moral attitude to life, love of justice and knowledge, and a desire for
personal independence influenced me." Thus, he supported Jews and their
desire for a homeland in Palestine, not as a political state, but as a place
where Jews could develop their culture and share the land with their
neighbours.
Martin Luther King, US
Martin Luther King, Jr. came from
a hard-working, honest and well-educated middle-class family. He studied the writings of Mahatma Gandhi
during his student days, and realized that Gandhi’s methods of non-violent
resistance were the correct tools to use to gain civil rights for poor
minorities. To those who accused him of
causing trouble, King replied that the downtrodden and mistreated people can
only get justice and peace by agitating non-violently until their grievances
were redressed.
The Montgomery bus boycott of
1955-1956 gave the Reverend King his first chance to practice non-violent
resistance to unjust laws. Rosa Parks, a
black seamstress, refused to give up her seat in the bus to a white passenger,
which was required by the law in the south at that time. For this she was
arrested and summoned to court. The
black citizens of Montgomery, Alabama decided to boycott the buses for one day.
This boycott proved to be so successful that they continued it. They refused to ride the buses at all until
they were given what they considered to be civil rights under the law. All they asked for was courteous treatment
from the bus drivers, seating in the buses to follow an orderly pattern. That
included white people in the front and blacks in the back of the bus, and jobs
for black drivers, especially on the bus routes populated by minority citizens.
Dr. King was named the leader of
this boycott. During the 382-day ordeal,
he succeeded in getting his people to walk, ride mules or bikes, and to
car-pool, but never to ride the bus to work, school or play. During this time, Dr. King was harassed,
imprisoned, and humiliated. His home was
even bombed, but he never retaliated physically. He taught his followers to use peace, not
violence, to win their battles. The
highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, finally heard the case, and
decided that the cause was just. The
buses of Montgomery were finally integrated.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for
peace in 1964.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”
Rosa Parks. US
Rosa Parks, a black seamstress and
civil rights activist, refused to give up her seat in the bus to a white
passenger, which was required by the law in the south at that time. For this
she was arrested and summoned to court. The black citizens of Montgomery,
Alabama decided to boycott the buses for one day, launching in this way ML
King’s campaign. She was awarded de Congressional Gold Medal.
Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan, Northern Ireland
The two women led marches in which
Protestants and Catholics walked together in demonstrations for peace and
against violence. Williams and Corrigan
"have shown us what ordinary people can do to promote peace." They had the courage to take the first step. "They did so in the name of humanity and
love of their neighbour; someone had to start forgiving. ... Love of one's
neighbour is one of the foundation stones of the humanism on which our western
civilisation is built." It is
vitally important that it "should shine forth when hatred and revenge
threaten to dominate." Theirs was
"a courageous unselfish act that proved an inspiration to thousands, that
lit a light in the darkness..." Nobel Peace Prize 1967.
Patrice Lumumba, Congo
Independence speech: “…We are
going to put an end to suppression of free thought and see to it that all our
citizens enjoy to the full the fundamental liberties foreseen in the Declaration
of the Rights of Man.
We are going to do away with all
discrimination of every variety and assure for each and all the position to
which human dignity, work, and dedication entitles him.
We are going to rule not by the
peace of guns and bayonets but by a peace of the heart and the will….”
Bertrand Russell. UK
1872–1970 Influential British
mathematician, philosopher, and logician. Example of non-religious peace
campaigner.
Dismissed from Trinity College and
imprisoned for five months as a result of anti-war protests. Appointment at
City College New York revoked following public protests. Dismissed from Barnes
Foundation in Pennsylvania, also due to his anti-war activities.
Organised the first Pugwash
Conference. Founding President of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Imprisoned for the last time aged
89 for one week in connection with anti-nuclear protests.
Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma
The sources of her inspiration
were Mahatma Gandhi, about whom she had learned when her mother was the
ambassador to India, and her father, Aung San, the leader in Burma's struggle
for liberation. She was only two when he
was assassinated, but she had made his life a centre of her studies. From
Gandhi she drew her commitment to non-violence, from her father the
understanding that leadership was a duty and that one can only lead in humility
and with the confidence and respect of the people to be led. Both were examples for her of independence
and modesty, and Aung San represented what was called "a profound
simplicity" (Nobel Peace Prize speech). At the ceremony for Aung San Suu
Kyi in December 1991, she was still being held in detention by the military
dictatorship in Myanmar (Burma) and could only be represented by her two sons,
her husband and her picture facing the audience.
The National league for democracy
was formed, with Suu Kyi as general secretary. It promoted a policy of
non-violence and civil disobedience.
Defying a ban, Suu Kyi made a speech-making tour throughout the country
to large audiences.
Suu kyi continued to campaign
despite harassment, arrests and killings by soldiers. She was prohibited from standing for
election.
There was a famous incident in
Irawaddy delta when Suu Kyi courageously walked toward soldiers’ rifles aiming
at her. She was placed under house
arrest, without charge or trial. Despite her detention her party won the
elections with 82% of parliamentary seats. The military Junta refused to
recognise the results.
She was granted 1990 Rafto human
rights prize and was the winner of 1991 Nobel peace prize.
“If you are feeling helpless, help someone”
At present she is an elected Member of Parliament but she continues her struggle for Democracy.
Shirin Ebadi, Iran
“As a lawyer, judge, lecturer,
writer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country,
Iran, and far beyond its borders. She has stood up as a sound professional, a
courageous person, and has never heeded the threats to her own safety.
Her principal arena is the
struggle for basic human rights, and no society deserves to be labelled civilised
unless the rights of women and children are respected. In an era of violence, she has consistently
supported non-violence. It is fundamental
to her view that the supreme political power in a community must be built on
democratic elections. She favours
enlightenment and dialogue as the best path to changing attitudes and resolving
conflict.” (Nobel Peace Prize speech)
Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana
Inspired by Gandhi’s teachings
adopted the philosophy of Positive Action on the principle of non-violence.
In 1957 he made Ghana the first
nation in sub-Saharan Africa to win independence from European colonial rule.
He used it as a platform to lead
to the total emancipation of Africa from colonial rule, and also to campaign
for a political union of the newly independent states and the integration of
their economies.
Although his rule has been
criticised as authoritarian and undemocratic he was aware that his socialist
project had many enemies abroad, (at the peak of the Cold War) and he survived
5 assassination attempts. He is still considered one of the great leaders of
the Pan African Movement
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, Russia
Leader and president of the USSR
1985–91. He attempted to revive the faltering Soviet economy through economic
reforms (perestroika) and liberalise society and politics through glasnost
(openness) and competition in elections, and to halt the arms race abroad
through arms reduction agreements with the USA. He pulled Soviet troops out of Afghanistan and
allowed the Soviet-bloc states in central Europe greater autonomy, a move which
soon led to the break-up of the USSR and end of the Cold War. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in
1990 for promoting greater openness in the USSR and helping to end the Cold
War. He launched with other Peace Prize
winners the “Decade of Peace and Non Violence for the children of the world”
programme for the first 10 years of the new millennium to be dedicated to
Education for Non Violence, now run by UNESCO.
The Mandela conundrum
Nelson Mandela is the undisputed
great leader of the African liberation. He abandoned non-violence in the face
of his people’s massacres in favour of a campaign of sabotage and armed
struggle.
During his prison years he refused
offers of release if he renounced violence on the grounds that only free people
can freely enter into contracts. By doing this he applied the non-violent
principle of passive resistance.
Not to pay homage to him is to let
one of the greatest struggles of the world go unrecognised. He represents the
conundrum faced by all those who are being violently oppressed.
Paradoxically his campaign added
International Pressure to the arsenal of the methodology of non-violence
Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemala
It was announced in October 1992
that the Nobel Peace prize would go to Rigoberta Menchú, a Mayan Indian of
Guatemala "in recognition of her work for social justice and ethno-cultural
reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples."
That Menchú did not turn to
violence, but to political and social work for her people is the reason why she
received the prize. She became an active member of the Committee for Campesino
Unity and then helped found the Revolutionary Christians. Menchú explained that
"we understood revolutionary in the real meaning of the word
'transformation.' If I had chosen the armed struggle, I would be in the
mountains now." Although she has admitted her book contains some events
later proven to be not true, the Nobel committee accepted it as a true
representation of the lives of Guatemalan Indians, if not her real biography.
Silo: Mario Rodriguez Cobos, Argentina
An Argentinean thinker and writer
who, as a response to the violence around the world and especially the military
dictatorships of South America, launched a non-violence movement in his
hometown of Mendoza. Throughout the
sixties his thinking developed to the point where the first public exposition
of his work was made in 1969 in a location called Punta de Vacas in the Andes
mountain range with a speech called “The Healing of Suffering”. His message: “Carry peace in yourself and carry it to others”.
This movement has developed since with
expressions in the political, social and cultural fields through the formation
in many countries of:
World without Wars and without
Violence: working for the end of wars, nuclear weapons and all other forms of
violence (launched the World March for Peace and nonviolence)
The Convergence of Cultures,
bringing together different cultures, ethnic groups and lifestyles
The Centre of Humanist Studies:
adding academic work about the methodology of Non-violence
The Humanist Party working for
real rather than purely formal democracy, human rights, an economic model for
social justice and the environment.
The Community for human
development dealing with the implementation of educational and cultural
activities
Each of these organisms bases
their activities on the principles of non-violence and
anti-discrimination. Today, the
philosophy of this Movement is known by the name New or Universalist Humanism
and can be distilled down to two primary principles:
1. Solidarity
- Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
2. Coherence
- Think, feel and act in the same way.
The Humanist Attitude
•
Placing the human
being, rather than money or power, as the central value
•
Affirming the equality
of all human beings
•
Recognising personal
and cultural diversity, rejecting any form of discrimination
•
The continuous
development of human knowledge beyond absolute truths and dogmas.
•
Sustaining freedom of
ideas and beliefs
•
Rejecting violence in
all its forms.
Silo’s Message was
launched in 2003 to express a profound spirituality capable of moving towards
personal and social non-violent transformation, with freedom of interpretation
and association.
