JOY ELLEN YOON — Choosing Nonviolence

Living overseas taught me that there are always two sides to a coin. In particular, residing in North Korea gave me a broader perspective of the people and a deeper understanding of the country (from Discovering Joy: Ten Years in North Korea). In fact, my experiences in both North and South Korea unveiled the truth that in war, no one is innocent. Both sides are guilty. And at the same time, both sides are victims. War perpetrates a cycle of violence in which all sides suffer.

Currently multiple conflicts are terrorizing the world. The cycle of violence and victimization is causing needless death, suffering, and pain. Although each geographic region has its own history and unique situation, like the Korean context, cycles in which victims become victimizers and victimizers become victims are evident worldwide. On the Korean Peninsula, the North has victimized the South, and the South the North. This cycle of victimization must stop. Violence across the globe must be transformed into nonviolent engagement.

In times like these, it is essential to glean lessons from the past. Reflecting upon a struggle several decades past, Coretta Scott King, the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., stated, “Nonviolence is the most powerful force that we have for the counteracting of hatred, bitterness and violence which have infested our society.” Choosing nonviolence is opposite to what is typically our default by nature. Nonviolence requires a supernatural amount of strength, self-denial, and tenacity.

Such sacrifice and tenacity were embodied by Coretta and Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. adhered to several nonviolent principles in his fight for civil rights. Among these principles include the following four key pillars of nonviolence.

First, nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. Oppositely, violence causes death and destruction. Trauma resulting from violence lasts not only a lifetime but can also persist for many generations that follow. The effect of violence can be seen traumatizing entire groups of people and even nations. If our objective truly is peace, we should be intentionally choosing nonviolent strategies that seek understanding and strive for reconciliation.

Secondly, nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people. In the cycle of victimization, victims often become perpetrators. Thus, evildoers are also often victims of violence themselves. What results is abuse and brokenness on both sides of the conflict. It is only through nonviolence that we can defeat evil and prevent further injury and destruction. Nonviolent strategies protect the sanctity of human life while still aiming to correct injustices.

Thirdly, nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform people and societies. Martin Luther King Jr. willingly chose to suffer for civil rights. He nonviolently protested unjust laws and was jailed as a result. But he never retaliated with violence. Through being arrested and treated unjustly, his plight for civil rights gained momentum and recognition, but he always chose the peaceful recourse. We, too, must choose to live out the principles of peace and justice for which we fight for in a nonviolent way.

Finally, nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Hatred breeds evil. Evil causes inhumane treatment of others, killing and victimizing innocent people. When fighting for justice and peace, we must be motivated by love. Our plight cannot come from a place of pain and retaliation. That will only inflict more harm and fuel the cycle of violence. Instead, love must be generously unselfish, giving beyond what the other party deserves. Love chooses to cherish the person while shaming evil and rejecting injustice.

History often repeats itself. We have yet to learn how to completely stop the cycle of violence and victimization. In the midst of a torn and conflicted world, let’s choose to practice beneficial lessons from history. Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights movement teaches us that positive change and transformation is possible when we choose to embrace a nonviolent approach to conflict. Now, in the midst of an increasingly violent world, is the time to choose nonviolence.