“The truth is an offense, but not a sin.” — Bob Marley
Last summer, I posted an article on Medium entitled On the Verge of Tyranny, expressing my dread of the implications of the horrific Supreme Court decision granting unlimited presidential immunity, in the event that Trump was elected. That, of course, has just happened, and anyone with any sense of integrity or loyalty to the founding democratic principles of our nation — the rule of law, equal rights for all, intellectual freedom, honesty, civility, and basic decency — is now staring into the dark vortex of a Trumpian tyranny, which may well be far worse that most of us yet imagine. Tyrants, as a rule, have no tolerance for criticism or public opposition either from political opponents or from the media; all such critics are simply reclassified as “enemies within,” subject to intimidation, surveillance, arrest, prosecution, imprisonment or torture, or simple “disappearance.” And that includes you and me as well.
In the article cited above, I introduced the core principles of Satyagraha as Gandhi conceived it, and as further developed by his eminent successors, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, Wangari Maathai, and Vandana Shiva. These principles can be summed up as nonviolent noncooperation with evil, expressed through speaking truth to power (Satya); acts of nonviolent resistance (Ahimsa), and building resilience and autonomy within our communities (Swaraj). And I also emphasized the three essential criteria of any Satyagraha campaign: it must be mindful, strategic, and relentless. There is no such thing as defeat in Satyagraha — only temporary setbacks. Our timeline is eternity.
But now, with the tyrant’s election, and his determination to grab as much power as he can as quickly as possible, the time has come to shift from contemplation of these core principles to acting upon them. But how?
Here are a few initial suggestions:
- Create among a few close, trusted friends and allies a Satyagraha Study Group. There are many excellent resources for this, but a few good ones include On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder, From Dictatorship to Democracy, by Gene Sharp, and Gandhi on Nonviolence, a small anthology of useful quotes from Gandhi’s writings, selected and edited by Thomas Merton. Study these texts carefully, and strategize in accordance with the principles they set forth.
- Start Locally. Begin with cultivating powerful allies to your Satyagraha movement in friendly policymakers at the city and state level. Make clear that your aims are entirely patriotic — that is, in accordance with the founding principles of our nation, as stated in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, and that you have nothing to hide. Seek local policy initiatives that will strengthen the resistance of local and state government to potentially tyrannical or oppressive legislation from a MAGA congress or edicts from the Trumpian White House or the corrupted Supreme Court. Encourage state policymakers and administrators to push back against Trumpian tyranny by all legal and institutional means.
- if (or as) things get worse, build a community of resistance, and strategize the most effective nonviolent methods for drawing public attention to your efforts, without giving in to hatred or violence.
- NEVER GIVE UP. Remember that a true Satyagraha movement knows no defeat, but only setbacks. Cut through the web of lies with the sword of truth, with courage and defiance, but never succumb to hatred or violence, for hatred is a form of subjective attachment to the hated object. In succumbing to hate, we become our enemies. Instead, make “energetic progress in the good” by cultivating autonomy, courage, resilience, and self-reliance.
- No matter what happens, keep speaking truth to power and refusing to cooperate with tyranny— mindfully, strategically, relentlessly.
- And hang in there! As Dr. King said, “The arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” If we act with faith and determination, relentlessly, we can rekindle the light of truth, and overcome Trumpian darkness once again.