I often wonder how it's possible to stand up to oppression and violence, both the overt and subtle kinds, without resorting back to violence. How can nonviolence be an effective way of transforming violence into peace?
I love this TEDx talk on nonviolence by Scilla Elworthy. Elworthy defines three kinds of violence, which I have quoted here:
1. "Political violence to intimidate..."
2. "Physical violence to terrorize..."
3. "Mental or emotional violence to undermine..."
The point that stands out most to me from her talk is the idea that using more violence doesn't work. Using violence to stop violence isn't effective -- it only adds to the problem. Instead, we have to cultivate peace within ourselves and bring a calm clarity to any violent situation.
According to Elworthy, it's necessary to practice self-awareness in order to practice nonviolence. We have control over our own responses to oppression, and in order to control our own responses we have to master our fears.
How can we master our fears? Not by subduing or dominating them -- to me, that seems like a form of violence against ourselves. Elwothy's solution is to open a dialogue with our fears. Talk to them, as if they were children. This is a form of mindfulness. If we're able to overcome our own fears with nonviolence, we'll be able to overcome bigger problems as well.
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