The Eternal Flame, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
Dear Friends of Active Peace,
As always, whether it’s the celebration of his birthday or the commemoration of his death, I like to spend some extra time reflecting on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy. These are occasions to tap into his spirit and go a little deeper—I think he would approve.
It’s clear to me that the best way to honor Dr. King is to put nonviolence into practice and continue to evolve it. I call this Transformational Activism.
Gandhi and King left us many principles that remain as relevant as ever. However, in our contemporary context, there is still much to learn and explore. We have access to tools and resources that were not available in their time. Restorative justice is one example.
Merging the principles and practices of nonviolence and restorative justice helps us remember that nonviolent social change is inherently relational and requires respect and healthy communication. The marriage of nonviolence and restorative justice is a core aspect of Active Peace.
I wrote up some the key differences between “old paradigm” activism and transformational activism. Here is some further elaboration:
Transformational Activism:
Has a Spiritual Context. It asks the question, What is the most fundamental energy that leads to social change? Looking deeply, you may find the answer to be God, spirit, source, grace (whatever words you choose). It then asks the practitioner to align both “being” and “doing” with that energy.
Cultivates and Requires Clarity of Mind and Heart. When you put activism in the context of spiritual growth and consistent nonviolence, you relax and see reality more clearly. A natural humility also arises.
Attends to Healing. With more clarity and relaxation you can see all the way to the root cause of violence and suffering: the illusion of separateness (the illusion that we as humans are separate from each other, from other species and the earth, and from source). The transformational activist maintains a consistent focus on healing that root cause. This becomes more important than any short-term victory.
Is Fueled by Life Energy and Love. Holding the big picture and putting all the above into practice, your basic orientation shifts. Your action arises from the life energy and love flowing through you. You become a force of nature and spirit.
Take a few moments to reflect on these themes. Notice how consistent they are with the teachings of Gandhi and King. Notice how they cover concepts related to spiritual or sacred activism and how they bring those concepts down to earth.
Does this kind of approach to activism feel transformative to you? If so, how and why? What holds you back from practicing it? What support do you need? Feel free to get in touch with questions and comments.
Scott Brown
In your outline, the first item, “has a Spiritual aspect” is the one I find most challenging. I’m not the same person I was even five years ago. I suspect that’s true of most of us. In a recent blog, Ilia Delio suggested that we need to “make a decision for God” in order to really open our hearts. We don’t need to call it God but we do need to acknowledge the One, or Absolute in some way. I was on a spiritual journey for many years; only when I made that decision because there was no other way for me, did I begin to be transformed from the inside. There seem to be many people with open hearts who want to help and haven’t yet found a stable sense of inner peace in themselves. The question for me; how do we inspire people to wake up to our interconnectedness and truly desire to find more loving ways to support the unity that IS. Your practices are a great start. I wish you great success with this. I think building communities dedicated to non-violent and restorative methods is powerful.
Hi Barb, I also think that first step is the most challenging. It wasn’t a part of my formulation until reading Thomas Merton. It made sense and has stuck with me. The other steps flow from that most fundamental insight about reality an social change. And your closing question is a fundamental one too. It just occurred to me how much it invites our attention back to the first point! Can we relax into trust and simply do what is our’s to do?
Any “Us Against Them” plan is never going to result in anything but short-term, very incomplete change. So I vote for the depth of Restorative Activism. If anything is worth sacrifice, it is true, spiritual maturity leading to AUTHENTIC internal and world peace. How can we resist, when necessary, without fighting and division? By remembering what Scott says.
We are all key components of the indestructible web of life, and everything affects everything. So let’s make our actions count to strengthen connections with all of life, even the parts we do not prefer.
Thanks Lyna!The beauty is we discover who we really are and what we really need along the way!