Courage

Posted by: Nicolas Katkevich

Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people, this is the first principal of Kingian Nonviolence. Nonviolence in this regard is not simply the absence of violence, or stepping out of a system to live a passive lifestyle. Rather, Nonviolence is a dynamic active force and a way of living, thinking, looking at others and pursuing social change with love. It is not simply something which can be turned off with a switch; Nonviolence must be a way of life.

In this world full of violence, aggression and suppression, it takes courage to take a stand and insist upon following the path of Nonviolence. Change, especially a deep change in one’s world outlook is a big step to take. It takes courage. Once on the path even more courage is needed to stand up for what is right, to sacrifice time and energy for a just cause and to put justice ahead of your own physical well-being. For as many great Nonviolent leaders, from Jesus Christ to Martin Luther King discovered, a Nonviolent lifestyle has a way of upsetting the status quo, often leaving the stagnate system to respond with the only weapons it knows: violence, imprisonment and murder. Yet once one vanquishes fear of these tools of suppression from their consciousness, the weapons are made futile. With courage and fearlessness, Nonviolence disarms the supposed power of guns, jail cells, police batons and torture. When a person is not afraid of death, they are free.

Living a life of Nonviolence means to water the seeds of fearlessness. This is done by continually harvesting the courage that is rooted in a confidence of humanity; knowing that if we allow love and compassion to steer our life, there is not a thing to worry about for the Universe is on the side of justice. Moreover instead of punishing those who seem to be assailants, a Nonviolent person practices self-suffering as a way to cleanse themselves and to move the hearts of others so that they are obliged to reflect on their own actions. Happily using the tool of self-suffering for the sake of a just cause takes mighty courage as well.

Who has more courage? A person hiding behind a fortification, strapped with armor aiming their automatic weapon at supposed enemy a hundred yards away, or a Nonviolent person, with love in their heart, fearing no man, happily and fearlessly marching for a just cause into a rain of screaming bullets? Although quite extreme, this example put fourth by Mohandas Gandhi clearly sheds light onto the magnitude of courage a dedicated Nonviolent practitioner can manifest. Truly Nonviolence is a Way of Life for Courageous People.