1 Quote
“Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word ‘tension.’ I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail
1 Reflection
There are times when harmony is an obstruction to peace. I’m talking about the times when conflict is ignored and people are not heard and seen fully, not to mention when injustices and abuses of power are covered up. I’m talking about when we dance around properly naming the system or ideology that is causing entire groups of people to be rendered powerless.
It’s in these times when necessary and crucial conversations are understood to carry a sense of urgency. They become incredibly high-stakes conversations and people are left wondering, “How did we get here?”
In response, I’d ask us to consider, “Was there ever a previous time we thought this conversation was appropriate?”
The answer, more often than not, is probably a devastating, “No,” and to me, that is one of the roots of the issue.
In the rest of this issue, I’ll explain why you gotta create some heat zones, what that means, and how to get started.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to paper careplanes to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.