Ideas on Nonviolent Footprints : Some Random Thoughts
This week I was fascinated by the concept of developing Nonviolent Footprints by a youth team at a conference on Gandhian Educational Values organized by the National University of Educational Policy and Administration, New Delhi. To my mind, it was for the first time I heard of this idea of measuring one’s nonviolent action and how it can contribute towards a nonviolent ecosystem within homes, communities, institutions, states and globally. The concept of Nonviolent Footprints as conceptualized by The Peace Gong youth team needs further discussions for it to be evolved as a powerful tool to be integrated and imbibed in a world which is increasingly seeing growing intolerance, less space for dialogues and conflicts of various kinds.
Be it at homes, schools, offices, institutions, communities, states and nations, the situation seems to be the same- in the mad race for crass materialism and competition we want to outdo each other and this often propels us to resort to unfair and violent means. It is not always physical violence, but more than often we end up using psychological violence and other coercive methods to drive home our viewpoints and all that we want for ourselves. Also in our increasingly individualistic society, we tend to care less for our fellow beings, other living forms and the nature and this contributes towards our attitude, behaviour and gestures becoming violent. In this backdrop, the concept and idea of Nonviolent Footprints to gauge and measure one’s nonviolent action in daily lives is a timely and apt intervention.
The opening statement of The Peace Gong youth team represented by Asiya Naqvi , Divyashree Dubey, Syeda Rumana Mehdi, Abhishek Bharanwal & Neelakshi Malik encapsulates the philosophy of Nonviolent Footprints:
“Humans cannot deny their role in the uprising of global violence. They also cannot blame it on only several people- the spread of violence shows that we all have played a role in contributing to the gruesome state of the world today. The idea of the Nonviolent Footprint is ingenious as it will enable us to see the impact we can make. Often we think that an action has minimal value and thus refrain from doing it but Nonviolent Footprint stresses on how even the smallest of actions can lead to a bigger action. It reminds us of our responsibility and accountability to Mother Earth and to other humans because we live in a shared space and each of us has equal ownership in resources. In our earnest journey in the search of nonviolence, no one is more powerful than the other. As we think of Nonviolent Footprints, we think of the Earth as a a gigantic sheet of white fabric laid out and children, adults and senior citizens walk all over it, leaving their colorful footprints. So colorful that the black spots can be seen no more.”
Mahatma Gandhi had pertinently said, “The very first step in non-violence is that we cultivate in our daily life, as between ourselves, truthfulness, humility, tolerance, loving kindness.” The foundation of the philosophy of Nonviolent Footprints can be grounded in this idea on the need to cultivate nonviolence in our daily lives.
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The concept of Nonviolent Footprints will also be grounded on the essence of nonviolence as articulated by Martin Luther King who had said, “Nonviolence says that within human nature there are amazing potentialities of goodness…. I think we all must realize that there is within human nature a sort of dualism, something within all of us which justified Plato in saying that the human personality like a charioteer with two strong horses each wants to go in different directions…. There is this tension and this struggle within human nature between the high and the low…. we must recognize that just as there is a capacity for evil, there is a capacity for goodness. Just as a Hitler can lead man to the darkest and lowest depths a Gandhi can lead, men to the highest heights of nonviolence and goodness. We must always see these possibilities within human nature; the nonviolent discipline goes on with this belief that even the most difficult person, even the person who is committed to the old order with all his might, can be transformed……”
As the students unfolded their concept of Nonviolent Footprints to an esteemed audience of senior academicians and practitioners, it was clear that the measure of nonviolent action in one’s daily lives will have to be an individual effort. It cannot be mechanical but has to evolve from within. It cannot be measured by others. In this regard, Mahatma Gandhi had pointed out, “It is not for us to sit in judgment over anyone, so long as we notice a single fault in ourselves and wish our friends not to forsake us in spite of such fault. Being myself full of blemishes, and therefore in need of charity of fellow beings, I have learnt not to judge anyone harshly, and to make allowance for defects that I might detect”. (Harijan, 11–3–1939, p. 47)
So how we can make the concept of Nonviolent Footprints to measure one’s nonviolent action in our daily lives as a potent tool to contribute towards a nonviolent ecosystem:
I)In order to help people to measure their Nonviolent Footprints, the need of the hour is to propel a NONVIOLENT LITERACY MISSION. The Mission should be to incessantly work to explore the goodness in people and be a catalyst to become part of a nonviolent action force. Nonviolent Literacy entails critical understanding and learning of the art and science of nonviolence, imbibe the spirit of nonviolence and exhibit nonviolent practices in our daily lives. Nonviolent Literacy should be able to encompass nonviolent behaviour, nonviolent communication, nonviolent attitude, nonviolent thoughts and nonviolent action.
II)By being nonviolent literate, we will be in a position to start measuring our nonviolent action. It will help our critical faculties to gauge at the end of the day how violent or nonviolent we were.
This should include:
A)Our attitude towards not only our fellow humans but also towards all forms of life. The measure should encapsulate ideas of mutual coexistence and take a cosmocentric view of human beings. Bhikhu Parekh in his seminal book, Gandhi : A Very Short Introduction talks about how Gandhi took the cosmocentric view of human beings. He said how ‘human beings were an integral part of the cosmos, and were tied to it by the deepest bonds.’
B)Our behavior. How we behave with others and even ourselves needs to be included in the gamut of indicators for measuring Nonviolent Footprints.
C)Our expressions- both verbal and non-verbal. How we choose to communicate with our fellow beings, the words we choose and the manner we express can be important indicators for measuring Nonviolent Footprints. Also equally important is our nonverbal communication methods- these can be both violent and nonviolent and we need to self-introspect if our body language becomes too aggressive to hurt others.
D)Our Thoughts. There are times we may start thinking negatively about people with whom we have difference of opinion. We may even start hating others without openly confronting them. This is also violence
E)Ability to indulge in dialogues. The space for dialogues and discussions is shrinking as most of us start believing that we cannot be wrong and our views must prevail. As humans we will always have differences of opinions and views. All these differences can be plugged through meaningful dialogues and discussions. Our enhanced ability to indulge in dialogues with our opponents and all others should be an indicator to measure our Nonviolent Footprints.
F)Anger Management: In the mad race to achieve big, we tend to get over stressed. Also it contributes to our getting angry many a times without any specific reasons. Just like Mahatma Gandhi maintained an ‘anger journal’ to meticulously write down the reasons for getting angry during the course of the day, measuring our Nonviolent Footprints would entail maintaining an anger journal.
G)Self acceptance. An important measure of Nonviolent Footprints has to be the idea of self acceptance. Accepting one’s flaws could be an important way to nurture compassion and empathy towards others.
The concept of measuring one’s Nonviolent Footprints as propounded by The Peace Gong youth team is a promising initiative to contribute towards a culture of peace and nonviolence. Whether we practice nonviolence in our homes, institutions, society or nation, it has immense benefits and unlimited satisfaction and happiness. The youth team needs to be supported to evolve the concept for the benefit of humankind.
Lastly, I would like to share this beautiful quote of Mahatma Gandhi on the benefit of nonviolence. “Whatever may be the result, there is always in me conscious struggle for following the law of nonviolence deliberately and ceaselessly. Such struggle leaves one stronger for it. The more I work at this law, the more I feel the delight in my life, the delight in the scheme of the universe. It gives me a peace and a meaning of the mysteries of nature that I have no power to describe.” (Search for a Nonviolent Future, p. 101)