Nonviolence Guidelines
The National Campaign for Nonviolent
Resistance is a national network, however, and to respect the different
attitudes and practices of participating local groups we only ask that those
participating observe the more basic nonviolence guidelines below.
- Our attitude will be one of openness
and respect toward all we encounter in our actions.
- We will use no violence, verbal or
physical, toward any person.
- We will not destroy or damage any property.
We do nonetheless recognize that certain objects, such as nuclear weapons
or other instruments of mass killing, cannot be considered property, and
we fully support nonviolent actions of Ploughshares activists and others
offered in resistance to such instruments or war.
- We will carry no weapons.
- We will not bring any drugs or alcohol.
- If participating in a nonviolent direct
action, such as civil resistance, we will not run or resist arrest; we
will remain accountable for our actions as a means of furthering our witness
to the injustice of this war.
Additionally, we require that all individuals
considering participation in a nonviolent direct action take appropriate
nonviolence training. Please let us know if you would like help setting
up such a training, or finding someone in your area who can do one for you.
It is important to know that the
basic guidelines we follow do spring from the teachings on nonviolence that
have been received over the centuries. Below, for your interest and reflection,
are the thoughts of one of the most famous teachers of nonviolence, Dr.
Martin Luther King.
Dr. Martin Luther King
on the Philosophy and Practice of Nonviolence
These key points are excerpted from
his book Stride Toward Freedom:
The Montgomery Circle, but are
also repeated in numerous essays and articles that he wrote throughout his
life. (A Testament of Hope: The
Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.
is an excellent source book.)
It should be noted that Dr. King explicitly
credits Mahatma Gandhi
with having taught us the method of nonviolence. The points below are largely
the same as were taught, in one form or another, by Gandhi,
Dorothy Day, Jesus
of Nazareth, the Berrigan
brothers, Barbara
Deming, Tolstoy, Nhat Hanh, and most other well-known practitioners
of nonviolence.
-- Nonviolence is resistance to evil
and oppression. It is a human (and humane) way to fight.
-- Nonviolence does not seek to defeat
or humiliate the opponent, but to win his/her friendship and understanding.
--
The nonviolent method is an attack on the forces of evil rather than
against persons doing the evil. It seeks to defeat the evil and not
the persons doing the evil and injustice.
-- Nonviolence means willingness to
accept suffering without retaliation.
-- The nonviolent resister avoids both
external physical and internal spiritual violence - not only refusing
to shoot or strike, but also to hate, an opponent. The ethic of real
love is at the center of nonviolence. (Dr. King went to some length
to describe this love, which he noted is not reciprocal in nature, meaning
that this is not the love given to someone because they love you in
return. He identified this love most accurately with the Greek word
“agape,” meaning an understanding, redeeming good will towards all people,
a love in which the individual seeks not his own good, but the good
of his neighbor and all fellow beings, making no distinction between
friend and enemy.)
-- The nonviolent resister has a deep faith in the future, and believes
that the forces in the universe are ultimately on the side of justice.
To quote Dr. King, the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends
toward justice.
National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
