Part of building a culture of nonviolence is envisioning what that new world could look like so we know what we’re working towards. In her new book, Culture Shift: Nonviolence at Work, Kit Miller encourages us to explore common associations with nonviolence—both sources of hope and of reluctance—then take that next step to seeing the characteristics of a nonviolent workplace. Wondering what that could look like for you? Read the excerpt below.

Nonviolence is a word that can conjure up dozens of other words by association. It isn’t the absence of violence. Think about how doctors take an oath to “first, do no harm.” This is just the beginning of all the ways in which they can support patients' healing and well-being. Similarly, nonviolence encompasses hundreds of practices, ideas, approaches, and tools. We get the term nonviolence from Gandhi. It is an almost direct translation of the Sanskrit, ahimsa. In that ancient language, himsa means harm. The prefix a- is the negation of harm. Rather than simply meaning the absence of harm, however, it invokes the presence of all things non-harming. Take a look at this word map of terms connected to nonviolence:

As you see, vocabulary related to nonviolence is an art, not a science. Nonviolence is generous—it doesn’t care what we call it. 

Over time, numerous people have given me the gift of expressing skepticism about nonviolence. It’s a gift because their expression opens up the possibility of a conversation. If they are willing, I ask them to think it through with me. Are they objecting to nonviolence as an internal approach, or interpersonally, or on institutional or state levels? The majority of concerns center on interpersonal violence and the need for self-defense. We agree that almost all people want to have a more peaceful inner life, with fewer harsh self-judgments. Almost all of us prefer warm or cordial relationships with colleagues, friends, neighbors, and family. Similarly, most would prefer resolving global disputes through strategies like trade and diplomacy, rather than arms races and war. 

As people articulate these shared ideals, I find that the objection to nonviolence as a whole shrinks. What remains is a conversation about the need for physical safety. In that sphere, there is much to learn, from conflict de-escalation strategies to martial arts (like aikido where the focus is on defense, not aggression). 

Like Quaker activist and nonviolence advocate George Lakey, I believe that “nonviolence is not a method to prevent conflict. It is a method to conduct conflict.” Conflict offers transformative, necessary energy for change. Nonviolence offers methods of harnessing that energy and is available to all people.

Consider this: if we can have violence in all layers of society, we can also have nonviolence in all layers of society. Instead of staying stuck in cycles of violence, we can break this pattern with healing, transformative, and liberatory practices. Imagine if:

• every employer paid fair wages to workers;

• organizations replaced discriminatory policies with equitable ones;

• factories took wholehearted responsibility for every byproduct of the manufacturing processes;

• each industry repaired and restored the earth and the people it interacted with; and

• all jobs came with safety, pensions and dignity.

The byproducts—or secondary nonviolence—of such examples of structural nonviolence could include better mental and physical health, improved family relations including reduced domestic violence, racial healing, increased civic activism, healthier ecosystems, time for creative and spiritual pursuits—the list is long, and lovely. Isn’t that a vision worth thinking about, practicing, and working toward? We can experience what I think of as collateral healing.

There’s much more where that came from in Culture Shift: Nonviolence at Work, releasing September 10, 2024. Preorder your copy here.