In this light I wish to share the words of men and women who have thought deeply about these issues and in their own time have gained hard-won wisdom from their engagement with the powers that be.
Below find the words of Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thich Naht Hanh, Joanna Macy, Aung San Suu Kyi, Desmond Tutu, and Vimala Thakar. Call them apostles of nonviolent social change. We can also be aware that the following words do not merely offer a window into the speaker; they also present a window into a world and a worldview... a worldview that sees all beings and all things as interrelated and interdependent.
In the words of Martin King: "We are tied in a single garment of destiny. What affects one directly affects everyone indirectly."
It is my hope that these words can offer a taste and flavor of an approach to social change that simultaneously transforms the change agent and society.
Inspiration for the days ahead:
M.K. Gandhi
"Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.
"Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.
"The way of violence is old and established. It is not so difficult to do research in it. The way of nonviolence is new. The science of nonviolence is yet taking shape. We are still not conversant with all its aspects. There is a wide scope for research and experiment in this field.
"Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our very being.
"Nonviolence is an active force of the highest order. It is soul force or the power of Godhead within us."
M.K. Gandhi can be thought of as the father of civil disobedience. He best known for creating a form of resistance to barbarism, oppression, and violence - which itself renounced all use of violence.
During the early to mid-20th century Gandhi utilized an extraordinary blend of inner spiritual work, sensitivity to the suffering of the poor and disenfranchised, and masterful use of skillful political means to bring about social change.
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