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Jan 16, 2023
“All life is interrelated. We are all caught in an unescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affect us all indirectly.” - Martin Luther King
This past week, the city of Boston unveiled “The Embrace”, a statue by Hank Willis Thomas to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King. On a cold winter day, thousands of us watched with tears and laughter as “The Embrace” was unveiled. For over a year, I have gathered virtually with other Bostonians to plan for this launch and it is an historic moment to watch it arrive and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King.
I think Dr King would have loved The Lexicon of Change that we are building, as it connects and builds on many of his key themes, including non-violence and Ahisma.
Dr. Martin Luther King is a brilliant example of a positive maverick. A positive maverick is a leader changing our view of what is possible. “An unorthodox or independent-minded person who’s being, doing and thinking is changing systems. A positive maverick:
(The term “positive maverick” is used by the think tank R3.0. Henk Hadders from the Netherlands shared this definition.)
Non-violent resistance
For Dr. King, non-violent resistance has six elements, according to the MLK Research and Education Institute at Stanford University:
“First, one can resist evil without resorting to violence. Second, nonviolence seeks to win the “friendship and understanding” of the opponent, not to humiliate him. Third, evil itself, not the people committing evil acts, should be opposed. Fourth, those committed to nonviolence must be willing to suffer without retaliation as suffering itself can be redemptive. Fifth, nonviolent resistance avoids “external physical violence” and “internal violence of spirit” as well: “The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent, but he also refuses to hate him”. The resister should be motivated by love in the sense of the Greek word agape, which means “understanding,” or “redeeming good will for all men”. The sixth principle is that the nonviolent resister must have a “deep faith in the future,” stemming from the conviction that “The universe is on the side of justice”
“Nonviolent resistance means neither cowardice nor passivity. Nonviolent resisters are not cowards but strong individuals; it takes strength to resist the use of violence. If, however, resisters are nonviolent because of fear or because they do not have the means of violence, they are not practicing true nonviolence.”
She is Consultant on Social Innovation, Sustainability, and Human Rights, Lecturer, Senior Fellow, Institute for Social Innovation, Babson College, USA, Founder, The Lexicon of Change
Owned by: Institute of Directors, India
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Author. Advisor. Sustainability Expert. Lecturer
Author, Consultant on Social Innovation, Sustainability, and Human Rights, Lecturer, Senior Fellow, Institute for Social Innovation, Babson College, USA, Founder, The Lexicon of Change
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