WE ARE OUT TO DEFEAT INJUSTICE
Another key principle of Nonviolence is being clear about what one is fighting. King explains:
A third characteristic of this method [Nonviolence] is that the attack is directed against forces of evil rather than against persons who happen to be doing the evil. It is evil that the nonviolent resister seeks to defeat, not the persons victimized by evil.{59}
Although often cited as a cliche, there are very practical aspects of the sentiment expressed in the above quote. It is essential to be adamantly clear that the enemy is evil and injustice: not those who commit it. In fact, as shall be addressed, those who commit evil are also victims of (victimized by) evil.
Definitions of evil are ranging, therefore, let us use a simple one for the sake of this booklet. We can look at evil as disobedience to the Absolute (God), which for Gandhi is disobedience to Truth. Scriptures and spiritual teachings delineate what obedience entails. This includes moral abstentions such as ahimsa (non-harm), satya (to not lie or commit falsehood), and brahmacarya (to not be led by the senses) -- pillars of Satyagraha which are also reflected in the Biblical Ten Commandments. Obedience also includes moral observances such as purity, patience, discipline, and decrees such as “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... [and] Love your neighbor as yourself”{60} -- which Jesus declares to be the two greatest commandments.
Adherence to and application of obedience leads to a larger scope of one’s life dwelling within beneficence. In simple terms, beneficence means individual and collective well-being. Obedience also leads to justice: fair relations among living beings which facilitate peaceful cooperation, shared prosperity, and respect for all. Disobedience leads to injustice: clear symptoms of such being inequality, oppression, destructive conflict, and harm. Thus, Gandhi and King saw social conditions such as poverty, materialism, racial and ethnic discrimination, militarism, etc. as evil.
In this context, no person is absolutely good or evil: as long as we have free will, the potential for committing evil is always present because we can always choose disobedience over obedience. Often the choice between obedience and disobedience is strongly influenced by conditions, past and present: influences that sometimes overpower our best intentions. Therefore, Gandhi declares:
And after all no one is wicked by nature. And if others are wicked, are we the less so? That attitude is inherent in Satyagraha, and if you do not subscribe to it, even then I would ask you to leave me. For without a belief in my programme and without an acceptance of my condition you will ruin me, ruin yourself and ruin the cause.{61}
We should not minimize the influence of conditions and circumstances in committing sin, acts of disobedience to the Absolute. Realizing this, Nonviolence distinguishes the “forces of evil” from those who perform acts of evil. Gandhi is explicit in stating:
Man and his deed are two distinct things. Whereas a good deed should call forth approbation and a wicked deed disapprobation, the doer of the deed, whether good or wicked, always deserves respect or pity as the case may be. ‘Hate the sin and not the sinner’ is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practised, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.{62}
After making this distinction, Gandhi points out a means to address evil which, if addressed, can lead to a person shifting their acts from sin to piety (from disobedience to obedience) and possibly becoming a transformed person:
A Satyagrahi must never forget the distinction between evil and the evil-doer. He must not harbour ill-will or bitterness against the latter. He may not even employ needlessly offensive language against the evil person, however unrelieved his evil might be. For it should be an article of faith with every Satyagrahi that there is none so fallen in this world but can be converted by love. A Satyagrahi will always try to overcome evil by good, anger by love, untruth by truth, himsa [harm] by ahimsa [non-harm]. There is no other way of purging the world of evil. Therefore a person who claims to be a Satyagrahi always tries by close and prayerful self-introspection and self-analysis to find out whether he is himself completely free from the taint of anger, ill-will and such other human infirmities, whether he is not himself capable of those very evils against which he is out to lead a crusade. In self-purification and penance lies half the victory of a Satyagrahi.”{63} (bold emphasis mine)
Self-purification is essential within this approach: conversion from ‘evil (disobedience), anger, untruth, and harm’ to ‘good (obedience), love (compassion), truth, and ahimsa’ must happen within first. This calls for “prayerful self-introspection and self- analysis” -- which requires unflinching honesty. If we carry disobedient “conditions” within ourselves, it is very likely that when we encounter certain circumstances we will commit the same sins (evil acts) we stand against. But as you reap what you sow, if we sow ‘good, love, truth, and ahimsa’ within ourselves, as we reap these within we will see these overflow into the world through us, establishing and shaping circumstances that behold and reflect these blessings. Thus, when people who commit sin encounter these beneficial circumstances, their actions and possibly themselves can be transformed. King encounters this same point in the Bible, as the words of the Apostle Paul state:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. People reap what they sow. Those who sow to please their sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; those who sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.{64}
The above words of Paul have a poignant connection to Jesus’ words about loving your enemy. As stated earlier, Nonviolence does not embrace holding one as an enemy, but if we use the word “opponent” we will still see the immense value of Jesus’ teaching. In the Sermon on the Mount, he shared:
43You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies [opponents] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be children of your Parent in heaven. It causes Its sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Parent is perfect.{65}
If the Absolute sustains the lives of those who commit sin, which is a providence of love, should we not set our actions in accord with the Absolute and deal with those who commit evil through actions that behold ‘good, love, truth, and ahimsa’? Let me stress again that this does not mean we support or cooperate with evil. In fact, Gandhi is very clear:
In my humble opinion, rejection is as much an ideal as the acceptance of a thing. It is as necessary to reject untruth as it is to accept truth. All religions teach that two opposite forces act upon us and that the human endeavour consists in a series of eternal rejections and acceptances. Non-co-operation with evil is as much a duty as co-operation with good.{66} (emphasis mine)
“Non-cooperation with evil” can be done within the space of ‘good, love, truth, and ahimsa.’ The words of Paul affirm this when he writes:
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take