E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

98 Contextualising Gandhian Thoughtand in the Arab world it is presented as sumud or steadfastness.In all these cases, it is not the equivalent of passive opposition,but an active form of engagement. In the literature and inpractice, terms such as “nonviolent struggle,” “people power,”“civilian-based defense,” “nonviolent conflict,” and “strategicnonviolent conflict,” are all common.Nonviolent action is any form of public action aimed atrectifying injustices, resisting invasion and bringing aboutdesirable social changes through peaceful means. It is both amethod of conflict expression and conflict transformation withenough space for both dialogue and resistance. One can say thatit reinforces the bases of democracy. In nonviolent action, youhave some control over what you do. The effects of youractions are reversible. It is an active method of asserting thepower of masses, one of withdrawing consent of the peopleupon which all oppressive structures are built. 2 It isparticipatory in that everyone who is able to participate in theprotest regardless of their agility and age is valuable.Nonviolent action has been generally divided into two, orperhaps even three categories.The first is the Gandhian approach to nonviolentaction, known commonly as the principled approach. In itnonviolence is adopted for its intrinsic worth as the mosthumane way of conducting and resolving conflict- one that willallow reason (debate) and qualities of the heart to expressthemselves optimally. In other words, it employs a mix of boththe force of the better argument and the force of the heart orsoul force in the Gandhian sense. The intention is not to defeatthe opponent, but to bring him to your side since the opponentis seen as a part of your own self, through persuasion andsuffering (if need be). The adherents of principled nonviolenceare not obsessed with cost- benefit calculations or meresettlement of the issue, but are concerned with the possibilities