Sometimes part of resistance is–you absorb the suffering. Gandhi thinks we all have this potential for good. So you’re always reaching out, even to the oppressor. And sometimes when you don’t strike back, he thinks, it de-centers the other, it brings shame to the other. It’s hard for them to be violent toward you when you don’t respond in that kind of causal way…. Some of his techniques don’t work, he admits…. He had many campaigns, he called them off…. But for Gandhi, to be really non-violent in the full sense, requires a lot of self-discipline, it requires a lot of courage…. Because non-violence for Gandhi is not passivity…. [Passivity] used to really disturb him…. If the difference is [between] passivity and cowardice or being violent and brave, in a principled way, better to be violent, Gandhi always said. But the highest form, that requires the most courage, is non-violent resistance. –Doug Allen
My friend Doug Allen is well represented on this site. Given the recent conflict situations in Palestine, Iraq, and Syria, there is much discussion about religious-based oppression and violence. Media these days bristles with discussions spearheaded by statements strongly critical of Islam made by figures such as entertainer Bill Maher and neurophilosopher Sam Harris. What can we learn from Gandhi that can help us alleviate conflicts like these today?
On January 31, 2008, just one day after the 60th anniversary of Gandhi’s assassination, Doug gave a talk, “60 Years after the Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi (Jan. 30, 1948): The Relevance of Gandhi’s Philosophy for Today’s World.” I am here reposting the 70-minute talk and q & a (I can be it heard asking a question about the India-U.S. nuclear deal made during the George W. Bush Administration with broad support of the Democrats).
I think you’ll agree this is among Doug’s best talks.