What do you do when confronted with injustice? Do you fight back? Do you withdraw? Or do you try to keep the peace by doing nothing or remaining “neutral”? In many conflicts, the only possible paths seem to be fight or flight. However, there is an alternative. In this blog post, I would like to tell you more about the ‘third way’: the route of Nonviolence based on the ideas of the founder of Nonviolent communication, Marshall Rosenberg, and his sources of inspiration Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and especially Walter Wink.
What is nonviolence?
Nonviolence is often wrongly seen as the opposite of violence. The Nonviolence tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King shows that nonviolence is a third way (“the third way”). An alternative to both violence and passivity. This third way combines active resistance with compassion. It is a way of acting that does not accept injustice while simultaneously refusing to give up faith in the humanity of the other.
When people are confronted with conflict or oppression, we often react from two instinctive patterns: fight (rebellion) or flight (submission). Fighting can manifest as physical or verbal violence, armed uprising, retaliation, or revenge. Flight can take the form of submission, passivity, or withdrawal. In both cases, we let the other person determine our reaction. In doing so, we hand over our power.
“Never give anyone the power to make you submit or rebel,” Marshall Rosenberg therefore said. Nonviolence seeks another possibility: a way of acting that is not determined by the ‘opponent’ and is in line with our values and needs.
Fight, flight… or the third way
In Marshall Rosenberg’s books and words, you can clearly hear the echo of the activist theologian Walter Wink, who wrote several important books on power, dominance systems, and nonviolence.
In his book Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way (2003), Wink explains how he believes nonviolence was intended by Jesus in his struggle against Roman oppression. A striking example lies in Jesus’ statement: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also.” According to Wink, this quote is often wrongly seen as a call to passivity or submission. Wink shows that it is a form of creative nonviolent resistance.
In Roman society, slaves and subordinates were humiliated by being struck with the back of the right hand. When you turn the left cheek to someone who wants to humiliate you, you force them to strike you with the front of the hand. At that time, that was only appropriate between equals. So, by turning the other cheek, the mechanism of oppression was disrupted: the perpetrator could only continue to use violence by recognizing you as an equal.
A recent example of nonviolence as a response to oppression was seen during the recent No Kings and ICE OUT protests in the US. Many protesters took to the streets in inflatable animal costumes. This had an incredibly disruptive effect on law enforcement because officers were now forced to club SpongeBobs, Unicorns, and Disney characters, or refrain from violence. The humorous images also generated a lot of publicity that exposed the state’s brutal violence against peaceful demonstrators.
Nonviolence is not passive or neutral
It is a persistent misunderstanding that nonviolence is passive. In reality, nonviolence calls for active resistance against injustice and oppression. To our current Western leaders, who silently or under the guise of “understanding both sides” or “neutrality” allow great injustice and genocidal violence to happen in the world, Wink would say:
“Neutrality in a situation of conflict by means of a phony ‘peace’ is not a Christian goal. Justice is the goal, and that may require an acceleration of conflict as a necessary stage in forcing those in power to bring about genuine change.” (Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way, 2003).
According to Wink, passivity and neutrality in situations of injustice are the reasons existing power structures remain in place. Nonviolence focuses not only on peace but also on justice. Sometimes that means a conflict must first become visible or even increase before real change is possible. Nonviolence is not about being morally superior and perfect yourself and pointing at others, but about actively looking at how you can take action to contribute to a more just world and standing up for the oppressed.
The dynamics of nonviolent resistance
According to Walter Wink, nonviolent resistance has its own dynamics. It often begins with taking the moral initiative and seeking creative alternatives to violence. People affirm their own dignity while simultaneously refusing to submit to injustice. Nonviolent resistance can use humor, creativity, or unexpected actions to make power dynamics visible. It exposes the injustice on which power systems rest and confronts those in power with situations for which they are not prepared.
At the same time, within nonviolence, there remains a deep respect for the importance of laws and rights. Although people sometimes feel forced to break unjust laws, that does not mean lawlessness is the goal. The aim of nonviolence is precisely a society in which equal rights and human dignity are central. For what use is change if a new society emerges that is once again based on arbitrariness, abuse of power, and violence?
Nonviolence as a way of life
Ultimately, nonviolence is not just a technique or strategy. The goal is not simply to avoid violence. It is a creative search for ways to restore humanity. Therefore, an important principle applies within the tradition of Nonviolence: never choose a strategy or method that you would not want used against you.
That brings us to perhaps the most radical statement from the tradition of nonviolence: love your enemy. This does not mean you have to agree with the other person or accept injustice. It means you refuse to dehumanize the other.
Demonizing others only deepens the conflict. People are often dependent on the system in which they live and can therefore be afraid of change. When they feel there is no longer a place for them in a new society, they will fiercely resist change. Nonviolence therefore calls for the trust that people can change. When we reduce others to “bad” or “stupid” people or to enemies, we ultimately do the same as what oppressive systems do: we deny each other our humanity. In doing so, we deny ourselves and the other a shared future. It is precisely here that nonviolence touches its deepest purpose: not only changing systems but also restoring relationships and humanity.
Nonviolence is not an easy path. It requires courage, creativity, and perseverance. At the same time, history shows that nonviolent resistance can be a powerful way to make injustice visible and bring about real change. And that third way begins not only in large political movements but also in the way we ourselves deal with conflict, power, and humanity.
Sources
Image: Pro-democracy protesters in Thailand take cover with inflatable ducks as police fire a water cannon. Photo: Wason Wanichakorn.
Image in text: People in inflatable costumes attend No Kings demonstration in Portland, Oregon. Photo: Timothy J Gonzalez.
Book The Third Harmony, Michael N. Nagler
Book Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way. Walter Wink
Book The Powers That Be. Walter Wink