Wrestling principles on the path toward non-violence

Could you be friends with a Nazi? Timothy Sams doesn't know if he could. But last night, the Swarthmore assistant dean argued that such friendship is central to Martin Luther King Jr.'s version of non-violence. The workshop, which was hosted by a variety of groups including La Casa Latina, was held in the Arch building. Approximately 15 people attended the event, nearly filling the cozy room. "There are multiple forms of non-violence," Sams said, adding that he was only an expert in King's version. After graduating from Union College, Sams learned about King's beliefs from the New York State Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Non-Violence. "Is non-violence no violence?" he asked, kicking off the discussion. "That depends on how you define violence," one student responded. "I hate postmodernism!" Sams exclaimed with a chuckle. He explained that he wanted the audience to "wrestle" with the principles, not just blindly accept them. It was this conversational style he then used to elucidate King's six principles and six steps. "The first principle is that non-violence is active resistance to evil," he said. He added that the other principles involved transforming an opponent into a friend and believing that one's opponents are victims. Non-violent advocates of change will accept violence being done to them without retaliating and choose love over hate, as "the non-violent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win." King's six steps are concrete ways to enact these abstract beliefs, he explained. They entail information gathering, education, personal commitment, negotiation, direct action and reconciliation. "You end a conflict with some symbolic action" that creates a closer community, he said. Sams emphasized that "there is a difference between being non-violent and being stupid." He cited a personal anecdote in which he unsuccessfully used non-violent methods to stop a mentally ill woman from harassing him for money. But when she became belligerent, he eventually succumbed to shouting at her. Sams also explained that non-violence can be used in non-political spheres of life as well. "Start with the cashier," he said. "Don't slap them when they throw your change on the counter." At one point, the talk was interrupted by his cell phone. "That was my mother-in-law. Talk about a challenge to non-violence," he quipped. Though the discussion soon resumed, for some, there was a little too much talk and not enough action. "I think it would have been nice if we could have engaged in some sort of activity where we could use the skills we learned," Wharton junior Joanna Glauser said. Still, it "was a good opportunity for the Penn community to learn more about the steps and principles of Martin Luther King Jr.'s work," she added.

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