Satyagraha means truth and insistence, both words could be said to have been part of Archbishop Romero’s strategy to stop the violence happening in El Salvador. Romero was a man who was only trying to speak the truth and insist in nonviolent, mostly non-confrontational ways that the use of violence in this conflict could be stopped. The film Romero, has several instances where this belief could be clearly shown.
The first instance where Satyagraha as a nonviolent reaction is clearly seen is after Romero’s friend Father Rutilio Grande is killed by guerilla forces. Romero asks the father of the young boy who was also killed if they could display his body along with that of Father Grande, as well as telling the people that instead of there being …show more content…
Violence is a fear response. Something you only use when you are afraid of the thing you are attacking. When you use violence against others, you are saying that you are afraid of them, whether because of their words or actions, you are afraid of their power. When someone truly has power there is no need or call for violence, as they are secure in their own abilities. Dictatorships especially use violence when they are afraid of things. I would say that the El Salvador situation definitely fits, but in recent events I would say this is also true of a place like North Korea. Kim Jong Un uses violence as a tool against his people because he is painfully aware that the only way he can control them is by violent means. If there was a unified people’s uprising in North Korea, he knows that he would be overthrown, and so he exerts control over his people by threatening violence to the people they care about.
To conclude, Romero’s nonviolent actions by speaking out against the violence in El Salvador were powerful moves that threatened men who wanted control, and in reaction they resorted to violence by killing him. To me this proves that power and violence are opposites because you only use violence when you are afraid of someone else’s power. Power is not something you need to keep control of, it is inborn and comes from within yourself rather than without. Truly powerful people have
The first instance where Satyagraha as a nonviolent reaction is clearly seen is after Romero’s friend Father Rutilio Grande is killed by guerilla forces. Romero asks the father of the young boy who was also killed if they could display his body along with that of Father Grande, as well as telling the people that instead of there being …show more content…
Violence is a fear response. Something you only use when you are afraid of the thing you are attacking. When you use violence against others, you are saying that you are afraid of them, whether because of their words or actions, you are afraid of their power. When someone truly has power there is no need or call for violence, as they are secure in their own abilities. Dictatorships especially use violence when they are afraid of things. I would say that the El Salvador situation definitely fits, but in recent events I would say this is also true of a place like North Korea. Kim Jong Un uses violence as a tool against his people because he is painfully aware that the only way he can control them is by violent means. If there was a unified people’s uprising in North Korea, he knows that he would be overthrown, and so he exerts control over his people by threatening violence to the people they care about.
To conclude, Romero’s nonviolent actions by speaking out against the violence in El Salvador were powerful moves that threatened men who wanted control, and in reaction they resorted to violence by killing him. To me this proves that power and violence are opposites because you only use violence when you are afraid of someone else’s power. Power is not something you need to keep control of, it is inborn and comes from within yourself rather than without. Truly powerful people have