The last 21 months have been exhausting. As a state, nation and world, we have battled the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen political turmoil and strife from every side and in every corner. We have been fighting between countries, within countries, between friends and within families. We are at war with each other and possibly with ourselves: a bloody, violent war of words, hate, oppression, fear and frustration. We are so entrenched in our perspectives and world views that we have forgotten a critical message of the 20th century — shared by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and coined by philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce — that message is on becoming the Beloved Community.

According to Dr. King, the Beloved Community is justice, not for any one oppressed group, but for all people. This means that disputes are resolved through peaceful conflict resolution. It means that love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred and that peace with justice will prevail over war. To this end, King fought for the United States to fulfill its own promise that “all men are created equal.” And he did this through nonviolent means.

In the book “Stride Toward Freedom,” Dr. King shared six principles of nonviolence, indicating first that nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. It is active nonviolent resistance to evil. Second, nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. It does this through redemption and reconciliation — and through those actions it creates the Beloved Community. Third, nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice and not people. In this way, the nonviolent resister seeks to defeat evil, not people. Fourth, nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform. According to King and others, unearned suffering is redemptive and has educational and transformative possibilities. Fifth, nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Nonviolent love is spontaneous, unmotivated, unselfish and creative. Finally, nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. The nonviolent resister has a belief that justice will eventually win. These principles are the foundation of the Beloved Community.

For Dr. King, the Beloved Community was not a lofty utopian goal to be confused with the rapturous image of the Peaceable Kingdom, in which lions and lambs coexist in idyllic harmony. Instead, the Beloved Community is a realistic, achievable goal that can be attained by a critical mass of people committed to and trained in the philosophy and methods of nonviolence.

How can the Beloved Community develop in our contentious time? It is first by seeing people — actually seeing each other — as members of a common humanity. It is through gathering information from all sides of an argument to better our understanding of the issue. As my grandfather James H. Gillespie Sr. said, “You must not only know, but understand your opponent’s position.” This is achieved through educating others — including your opposition — about your issue. This is done to minimize misunderstandings and to find common ground. We must consistently affirm our personal commitment to the Beloved Community and nonviolence to eliminate hidden motives and maintain a willingness to accept suffering if necessary. When we meet, we must negotiate, looking for positive in all statements and actions made by our opposition. We should not try to humiliate the opponent but call for the good in the opponent. This can be furthered by sharing the injustices that have occurred with a plan for addressing and resolving them. From here, we either move into change or creative tension.

In 1957, Dr. King stated that the nonviolent resister must often express his protest through noncooperation or boycotts, noting that noncooperation and boycotts are not ends themselves; they are merely means to awaken a sense of moral shame in the opponent. The end is redemption and reconciliation. The aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness, while the aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the Beloved Community.

As we move into the uncharted territory of 2022, may we begin construction of the Beloved Community together. Join Weber State University along with members of our community as we discuss how to build the Beloved Community on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 6 p.m. via Zoom as we learn with and from Marion Howe-Taylor and Amy McDonald, co-creators of the Beloved Community Project. In order to achieve the Beloved Community, we must build it together. Watch for a link at weber.edu/diversityoffice. For more information, contact Cindy Reinhard at 801-626-7710.

Adrienne G. Andrews is assistant vice president for diversity and chief diversity officer at Weber State University. Twitter: AdieAndrewsCDO

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