Pieces of the Truth: An Exercise – 50 min.

One of key Mohandas Gandhi’s key principles is that no one possesses the entire truth. Rather, each of us possesses a piece of the truth and the un-truth. Nonviolent struggle seeks to reveal the pieces of the truth of both parties so that solutions can be constructed that incorporate them. This means that we need to acknowledge the truth of the opponent, even if we do not agree with it. The following exercise explores this central principle of active nonviolence.

1. Ask the group to brainstorm a list of divisive issues in its community or in the world. Some examples may include homelessness, a new law, an environmental issue, a recent war. Write these issues on flip chart paper. Then ask the group to choose one of these issues or policies to focus on.

2. Ask the group to identify different “actors” involved in this issue. For example, policy-makers; those who are harmed by the policy; those who benefit from the policy; those who enforce the policy; those who oppose the policy; members of the general public; members of corporations; members of the media; etc. Write these down on flip-chart paper.

3. Ask the group to narrow its list down to six of these “actors.” Display these on flip-chart paper.

4. Ask people now to break into groups of six persons each. (This number can be adjusted if necessary.) Ask each group to choose one person as a “scribe.” Pass out six pieces of paper and a felt marker to the scribe and have the scribe write the six roles – one per sheet — on each of the six pieces of paper. Ask each person to take one of the pieces of paper and place it the floor facing into the circle.

5. Explain that each person, one at a time, will role-play the person identified on the piece of the paper for 30 seconds. Participants are asked to really “get into the role” and to go beyond stereotypes of this person.

6. At the end of 30 seconds the facilitator will ring a bell. This will signal for the first person to stop talking and for the next person (to her or his right) to start.

7. When the first round is ended (that I, when everyone in each circle has done their role-play), ask everyone in each circle to move one seat to the right. Each person now has a new role. Take 10-15 seconds for people to reflect on their new roles. Then have the person who finished the first round begin the second round, but now in the new role. Then, as in the first round, have people 30 seconds role-play their “person,” and then the person to the right role-plays her or his role, and so on around the circle.

8. Continue these rounds until everyone has had a chance to play all the roles.

9. After the second round is completed, stop for a moment and:
1) Ask participants to get in touch with the deepest and most sincere motivation of the people they are portraying; and
2) Ask participants to regard the people they are portraying in the same way they regard the dearest people in their lives. Then ask the group to resume.

10. Option: After the last round is completed, ask the group to attempt to craft a “win-win” solution that takes into account the feelings, ideas and “pieces of the truth” of all the participants.

8. When the exercise is finished, debrief this exercise by asking participants to respond to each of the following questions, one at a time. Spend 3-5 minutes on each question. Write the responses down on three easel paper pads side by side:

1) What were your feelings and noticings, i.e., observations without judgments

2) What were your insights? What did you learn?

3) How can you apply these learnings in your life and in the world?