Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is best known for the vital part he played in the American Civil Rights movement. As a Baptist minister, he aimed to make a change in society through non violent means. This lead to the King Philosophy, which informed the way he and others in the movement achieved their goals.
The philosophy is still relevant today as it ever was, and is considered to be the key to making real, societal change. Here’s how the model works, and how it can be used in today’s world.
The Triple Evils
When understanding the King Philosophy, you first need to understand what wrongs it is trying to right. Dr. King outlined them in the Triple Evils, which society needs to aim to change. These are the following:
Poverty: In today’s society, the evil of poverty is seen in things such as unemployment, hunger and malnutrition, illiteracy, homelessness, and slums.
These are nothing new, and you will feel like these are a constant presence in today’s society. While it’s easy to believe that there’s nothing that can be done about them, in today’s world we have the resources to do so. The issue is that the resources are hoarded by the few, when they’re needed across the whole of society.
Racism: Racism is something that many people would consider to be ‘solved’, but events of recent years will tell you that racism is alive and well. It’s seen in prejudice, the stereotypes that are spread, and specific examples such as anti Semitism and apartheid.
This evil can be considered to encompass all types of prejudice too, whether it’s homophobia, ageism, prejudice against those with disabilities, and more.
As Dr. King himself said, “Racism is a philosophy based on a contempt for life.” When certain groups of people are discriminated against, no nation can truly be great.
Militarism: This includes not only the act of war itself, but any act of violence that a human can enact upon another person. That includes domestic violence, terrorism, media violence, child abuse, drugs, and more.
Any act of violence is never going to be the right way to settle differences or obtain what you want. As Dr. King said, “This way of burning human beings with napalm… cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love.”
The Six Principles of Nonviolence
Now that you’re aware of the Triple Evils, the King Philosophy aims to outline how they can be corrected in society. The philosophy declares that violence is never the answer, so there are six principles of non violence that you need to be aware of.
Non violence is a way of life for courageous people. For those that want to make a change, choosing non violence is the more courageous option. While most would turn to violence, it takes strength of will to choose this path.
Non violence seeks to win friendships and understanding. In non violence, you’re looking to create bonds and reconciliation with others. This is something that can only be done without violence.
Non violence seeks to defeat injustice not people. Even if something is performing an evil act, they themselves are a victim too. Because of this, those looking to enact change need to do it on a societal level, rather than on individuals.
Non violence holds that suffering can educate and transform. When choosing the non violent path, suffering is a likely outcome. If you follow this philosophy, then you’ll need to understand how that suffering can educate and transform you.
Non violence chooses love instead of hate. Violence doesn’t always happen physically. Instead, it can be spiritual. As such, when choosing non violence it’s important to choose love, instead of hate.
Non violence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. Choosing non violence requires you to believe in a higher power that favors justice, and wants non violence to eventually win.
Six Steps of Nonviolent Social Change
With all this in mind, it’s important to have a framework for enacting social change within the King Philosophy. The six steps of non violent social change show you how this can be done, based on the ways Dr. King did so in his life time.
1. Information gathering: This will be the first step that you need to take when using this framework. To truly understand an injustice that you’re aiming to fight, you need to have all the information at hand to do so.
Firstly then, you need to do your research. Gather all the info that you may need to get started. At this point, it’s vital that you gather info from all sides of the argument, so you have a clear, well rounded picture of what is currently happening. You essentially need to be an expert in the opposition’s viewpoint.
2. Education: At this point, you have all the information available on the issue, so you’re ready to start informing others about it. Your role is to educate as many people as possible about the issue at hand. That includes your opposition.
3. Personal commitment: While working to right the issue you’re passionate about, you will need to keep checking in with yourself. You need to reaffirm your dedication to non violence, and root out any hidden motives that you may have. At this point, you’ll also need to prepare yourself for potential suffering.
4. Discussion and negotiation: If you’re choosing non violence, you will still need to confront your enemy. Rather than using violence though, you’ll need to use the facts at hand, and a plan for resolving the issue. Even though they are your enemy, your goal should not be to humiliate them. Instead, aim to actually appeal to the good in them.
5. Direct action: This is the step you’ll need to take if you cannot get the enemy to enter into negotiations with you. These actions will be creating what is known as ‘creative tension’, as they are non violent but do put pressure on your opponents to do what’s right.
6. Reconciliation: When following the non violent path, the end goal will be to meet eye to eye with your opponent and create friendship with them. As such, your actions should eventually lead to them becoming your friend. Remember that your actions are aimed at solving the issue at hand, not the persons involved in them.
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Beloved Community
In the King Philosophy, if you’re following all these steps then that leads to the Beloved Community. The term was originally coined by Josiah Royce, a philosopher and theologian from the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Martin Luther King Jr. then used the term to really encompass the end goal of non violent protest.
The Beloved Community is not an idealised version of the world that can’t be achieved. Instead, it’s a realistic idea of how we can make the world better by working together to do so. When people work to end the injustices of the world, we can only then really achieve the Beloved Community.
As you can see, these ideals are as important now as they were at the time of the civil rights movement. With the philosophy, you can start to make changes in your own community.
