Nonviolence, Part I

Healing the Spirit with Soul Force

by Julie Oxenberg

The primary source of power in our world comes from the realm of will or spirit, understood in either religious or secular terms. Physical force can obstruct the intentions of others, but it cannot in itself break another's will. Therefore, to achieve sustainable peace in the current world context of potential annihilation by weapons of mass destruction we must effectively address what ails the human spirit and establish mechanisms of cooperative action. If spirit is the ultimate source of power, then changing the world for the better requires changing consciousness and healing the spirit.

As noted by Jonathan Schell, even in the midst of the bloody 20th century several of the world's greatest powers were overthrown by a force greater than that of empire: the force of soul or truth harnessed through the mechanism of nonviolence. Mohandas Gandhi led one of history's most potent and inspiring anti-imperialist struggles, achieving liberation for his people entirely without violence. This movement was spiritual at its core. Gandhi recognized the profound force that could be harnessed by waging a liberation struggle with the spiritual energy of faith. Wisely, he understood that this power could have destructive as well as liberating impact. Thus, Gandhi advocated that if the "ardor of faith" was to be used to inspire political action, such action must be purged of violence.

Gandhi's political program of nonviolent action, drawing from the power of Satyagraha or "soul force," was deeply psychological and required its adherents to cultivate both spiritual and emotional strength. This practice helped Indians to experience their spiritual potency and wrought in the conscience of India, according to Nehru: "a psychological change, almost as if some expert in psychoanalytic methods had probed deep into the patient's past, found out the origins of his complexes, exposed them to his view, and thus rid him of that burden".

Schell notes how a similar dynamic of empowerment played out during the American Revolution. Adams wrote to Jefferson: "What do we mean by revolution? The war? That was no part of the revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected before a drop of blood was shed."

Gandhi's psychological analysis of the dynamics of power relations went further. He recognized that a government depends for its existence on the cooperation of the governed. If that cooperation is withdrawn, the government will be left helpless. This analysis was not meant to blame the victims but to highlight their role in the power dynamic, and thus identify their avenues of potential choice.

Satyagraha is an active practice, despite its absence of physical force, and requires its adherents to cultivate internal resources including inner strength, courage, discipline, will, and love. Gandhi believed that the force of nonviolence was ultimately more powerful than the force of violence. Through the nonviolent movement Gandhi and his adherents led, unarmed Indians succeeded in wresting their independence from one of history's mightiest empires, and contributed to the empire's eventual decline. May we take inspiration from this and other nonviolent movements in our own grappling with the questions of nonviolence and spirit. 

Read Part 2 of this overview: Historical Notes on Non-violence by Ray Helmick, S.J.