Beloved Community

Principle Two: Beloved Community

Reflection by Prisca Afantchao

The Beloved Community is the framework for the future.

The nonviolent concept is an overall effort to achieve a reconciled world by raising the level of relationships among people to a height where justice prevails and persons attain their full human potential. 

(Source: Bernard LaFayette, Jr and David Jehnsen's Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Resolution Curriculum)

This term was established by Josiah Royce, a theologian and philosopher. He wrote that besides the direct community physically around us, there is Beloved Community, “all of those who would be fully dedicated to the cause of loyalty, reality, and truth itself” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2022). Importantly, it is also one of the six principles of Kingian Nonviolence.

In Martin Luther King Jr. 's, Pilgrimage to Nonviolence, he writes that “the nonviolent approach does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it” even though it doesn’t change the hearts of oppressors right away. Only later does it move the opponent (King 1960). Strength and courage are renewed by the nonviolent approach and, specifically, through the collective dedication and the loyalty people find in the struggle together. We have to turn to each other.

In times of great uncertainty and instability, one can easily feel overwhelmed by fear. Isolation can make this fear feel worse or unmanageable. There are two ways I believe Beloved Community can help us deal with pain and hopelessness during political strife. Threats to social programs, health care, and job security etc. are difficult to deal with. The first way is by dedicating or rededicating ourselves to the people we care about. This looks like remembering who would benefit from your work for justice and nonviolence. This works whether you envision the entire 8+ billion population of the world free from violence and domination far off in the future, or if you envision someone close to you free from the domination and violence that impacts them. Think of the dedication at the beginning of a book. Who are you working for? Who are you scared for? Who do you love? This helps manage emotions and prevent your fear from being an amorphous affliction. Short term or long term, you have to be doing this for someone. You might not be sure who this is. Take time to reflect on what is important to you and why. Next, think about who else it is important to.  

The second way is by keeping in mind the fact that we can only achieve a reconciled (or “conciled”) world by nursing the relationships we have with one another. Beloved Community helps by giving us immediate love, care, resources, and support. When we don’t know what to do, which is often, we can turn to the Beloved Community to express our emotions and to problem solve. There is nothing wrong with being scared of the unknown future or the confusing present. However, isolating oneself from your community leads to worsening fears by giving them nowhere to go. Developing the Beloved Community can look like introducing yourself to more people, or asking people you already know if they can be there for you and telling them that you can be there for them. Even if you don’t know exactly what you can offer them, being open can go a long way. King says that the nonviolent approach “calls up resources of strength and courage that they did not know they had” which reminds me that we are resources to each other, and we make each other stronger (King 1960). You might not know what you offer, but engaging in intentional activism and community building will teach you. 

In the past couple of years, I relied on Beloved Community by turning to racial justice activists/student organizers on my college campus. As a transfer student, I struggled to find community at my new school. When I found a group of people interested in reviving our school’s Students for Justice in Palestine, I joined them and ended up becoming close friends with many of them. The number of meaningful relationships and learning experiences I’ve had by connecting with others dedicated to the cause has changed my life. Beyond my friends, I have built relationships with my peers on and off campus, faculty, and staff, through our organizing. These are now the people I turn to when I’m worried about the world. We express our pain, but we also solve problems together through intentional action. It is not always easy to put yourself out there, but it is worth the trouble. 

Prisca Afantchao is On Earth Peace's Written Communications Organizer intern. 

Sources:

Bernard LaFayette, Jr and David Jehnsen's Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Resolution Curriculum

https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/pilgrimage-nonviolence

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/royce/ 

Photo by Alexander Suhorucov from Pexels