What is non violence ?

The Dalaï Lama said : « Non-violence doesn’t mean we have to passively accept injustice. We have to fight for our rights, we have to oppose injustice. »

But what is non violence ? Non-violence is the philosophy, the political attitude of those who reject the use of violence in conflict resolution. Supporters of non-violence use peaceful means to promote their ideas, to fight injustice or to resist aggression. They advocate respect for the opponent and for struggles that do not undermine his physical or moral integrity.

For Jean Francois Bernardini, our basic equipment is much more non-violent than violent. Violence is a violation of our nature.

We need to learn to control ourselves and to realize that anger and violence lead to nothing.

We can fight for our rights without violence.

Indeed, it’s what Gandhi, Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King did.

The experience of many struggles has shown the effectiveness of the strategy of non-violent action. There are many ways in which men, women and peoples can regain their dignity and defend their freedom.

Like the Dalaï Lama said : « Gandhi fervently promoted non-violence, but he didn’t mean he was complacently accepting of the status quo. He resisted, but he did so without doing harm. »

One of the most successful non-violent techniques is boycott.

A non-violent attitude is possible! This involves breaking with habits acquired at an early age and, above all, agreeing to face conflict. These include:

- Speak without encroaching on each other’s territory.

- Don’t assign labels and rule out bias.

- To renew communication: violence begins where dialogue ends.

- Listen to what the other person really wants to tell us, beyond words and actions. - To assert oneself, to dare to say no.

- Use our aggression constructively.

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