A Description Of The Six Principle Of Nonviolence
Martin Luther King Junior, an icon in the civil rights movement, stood for
six main principles of nonviolence. The six principles were the guideline and
the key to his success in making substantial improvements in the world of
segregation and public prejudice. Martin Luther King Junior believed that
nonviolence: was a way of life for courageous people, sought way to win
friendship and understanding, sought a way to defeat prejudice and not people,
held that suffering could educate and transform, chose live instead of hate, and
believed that the universe was on the side of fate. These principles will be
glanced at in the following paragraphs.
Nonviolence is a way of life for
courageous people. This statement is simply saying that a man of this belief
does not have to resort to violent means, which intern gains him a somewhat
higher moral authority regarding the matter. Someone who consistently lashes out
physically in disagreement is on a lower moral level, and is quite obviously not
making a valid attempt to cure the deficiency.
Nonviolence seeks to win
friendship and understanding. This says that violence is not progressive, but in
fact against progress. Nonviolent means not only express an opinion about an
issue, but also do not push relationships backwards. Nonviolent means attempt at
friendship, whether successful or not. Nonviolence is not filled with rage,
which allows the opposite party to ponder the ideas of the
expresser.
Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people. If someone
disapproves of something, and they do so nonviolently, there is only room to
move forward. On the other hand, however, if someone chooses the easiest way,
the way of violence, that not
only closes the minds of the opposing person,
but acts as a catalyst towards their anger. Nonviolence targets the issue, not
the supporting party of that issue.
Nonviolence holds that suffering can
educate and transform. This is for the good of both parties. In the bus
boycotts, everyone suffered. The bus owners, the employers, as well as the
boycotters suffered. This eventually taught them all lesson. The blacks learned
that their nonviolence was very productive after a year, and the owners and
employers learned that they should have been more receptive to the ideas and
issues of the blacks.
Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. It is
quite clear that striking a man over his opposite view is hate-filled. This
would not provide a gateway toward friendship, unlike the way of a nonviolent
man. It would only make issues even harder to discuss
civilly.
Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of
violence. Dr. King thought that eventually God would prevail in the way of moral
value. Even if human laws went against these values, Dr. King thought that good
would eventually supercede evil.
These brief descriptions of Dr. Martin
Luther King Junior’s six principles of nonviolence provide some detail and
examples of each principle’s application. Dr. King practiced, as well as
preached these six principles up until his death in mid 1968. He was well versed
in nonviolence, and was prosecuted many times for his practices. In practicing
these six principles, Dr. King did gain much moral authority, and it would seem
that he was found to be correct in his principle that stated that the universe
was on the side of justice, as we can see today.