Nonviolence can be a safe, effective and lasting way to defeat injustice, but like any other science, it takes some knowledge — and courage and determination.

Given a scientific approach to nonviolence we want to use the proportional approach to the degree of conflict we are facing. That escalation has been illustrated in the accompanying graphic, and as you will see, it is convenient to plot that escalation in three stages.

Nonviolence is also known as “love in action.” As a constructive power, it’s unleashed when potentially destructive drives like fear or anger are converted into creative equivalents like love and compassion.

Nonviolence, when harnessed systematically and in an experimental, scientific spirit, can be used as a force for realizing greater security, justice and social unity. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “nonviolence is the greatest power at the disposal of humankind.”