Turn his other cheek – and hit him harder.We are taught much about MLK's philosophy of non-violence. This theory of so-called non-violence was also used by Gandhi and Jesus. It most likely originated in India or Egypt some 5000 years or so before Jesus is said to exist.

Jesus was tremendously impressed by the idea of non-violence. And the idea was rational: to harm somebody must be against God, because it is God’s creation – you should not be destructive. But the question was, if others harm you, then...? That’s where turning the other cheek comes in; that was his invention. It is mentioned nowhere in Indian scriptures that you turn the other cheek. The question was not raised, it seems. Non-violence was preached so rationally that nobody asked, ”If somebody harms you, then what?” 

Jesus said that if somebody hits you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. But, as explained by Bhagwan Shree Rajineesh, 'when you are hit by somebody and you give him the other cheek, you are encouraging violence in the world. It is not non-violence. And you are assuming something which is absolutely your imagination. If somebody hits me, according to Jesus I have to give him my other cheek. But his tastes may be different. He may have enjoyed the first hit, he may enjoy the second even more; he may be a sadist. Then you are encouraging a sadist to torture people; you are encouraging violence. Even to allow your own body to be tortured by somebody is to encourage violence.'

This operating system of racist domination and control is carried out through deception and/or violence. [MORE] A philosophy of non-violence in such a system is idiocy leading to mental slavery and impotence. This ideology fails to take into account that the other people surrounding you - that is, racist white people are not non-violent. In their relations with each other most white people treat each other humanely -- but in their relations with non-whites, racist white people function as psychopaths.

'Behavioral scientists generally agree that the outstanding characteristics of the psychopathic personality are the almost complete absence of ethical or moral development and an almost total disregard for appropriate patterns of behavior. Psychopaths simply ignore the concept of right and wrong. As stated by Dr. Bobby Wright 'by ignoring this about racist White people (the lack of ethical and moral development) Blacks have made and are still making a tragic mistake in basing the Black liberation movement on moral suasion. It is pathological for Blacks to keep attempting to use moral suasion on a people who have no morality where race is the variable.' [MORE]

MLK's theory is pure nonsense; you cannot allow people to be violent to you - you only encourage more violence against yourself. 

A philosophy of non-violence does not make sense in the context of white supremacy - You are encouraging those people, inviting them: ”Come and be violent to us.” Bhagwan explained, "that’s actually what has happened in Indian history for twenty-five centuries. Anybody who wanted riches, women, slaves, invaded India. There was no trouble, India was non-violent. Most probably they would pass through kingdoms and there would be no fight at all, no resistance even."

Similarly, racist whites do as they wish with non-whites - what are the repercussions? There is no real trouble. Think of recent events in Ferguson & NYC. Both are examples of white collective power. A white cop kills an unarmed Black man for some trivial reason and then other white cops, police unions, prosecutors, the Governor, state Attorney General, mostly white grand jurors and the mainstream white media finance, support and uphold that white cop's "right to do so." What are you going to do about it - have a non-violent protest asking X? to please stop police brutality? Holding up a sign, screaming, singing and holding hands - what has this activity accomplished? [MORE] This is "protest" actually in cooperation with and submission to white supremacy/racism.

[Anon asks, "If marching, picketing, and protesting was an effective strategy to achieve justice — why are we still marching, picketing, and protesting FOUR DECADES later? Why is there MORE violence, MORE drugs, MORE guns in our communities, MORE black men and women in prison, MORE black children at risk, MORE family instability, MORE out-of-wedlock births, MORE single mothers, and MORE black children dropping out of high school now than before the civil rights era?"  MORE] 

Bhagwan asks, "If you look at your non-violence and it has provoked violence, then what kind of non-violence is this? It has brought more violence in the world than there was before." 

Non-violence has made Black people just like butter – you just cut into them with your knife, and there is no response just reaction with no repercussions. And millions can be killed and demeaned without any resistance, because resistance would be violence.

Bhagwan explains, "But you go on missing seeing the point that you are provoking the violence in the other person. Who is responsible for it? Now turning the other cheek means you are telling the other person, ”Please hit me a little more, it is not enough; I am not satisfied. Hit me a little more so that I can become a little more saintly.” And you have only two cheeks. What are you going to do when he has hit you on your second cheek? What Jesus is saying looks a beautiful statement but it is not at all practical, pragmatic, scientific.

Reverence for life approaches the whole problem from a different angle. I will say respect life, yours included.

In fact, you are first to be respectful towards yourself, then only can you be respectful towards anybody else.

Be loving towards yourself, then you will be able to love others too.

Reverence for life will not allow any provocation to violence. It will not start violence, but if anybody starts it, it will stop it immediately.

Jesus says, ”If somebody hits you on one of your cheeks, turn the other cheek.” I say, ”Okay, turn his other cheek – and hit him harder. Give him a lesson! Make it clear to him that it is not so easy to hit somebody on the cheek – that it comes back, and comes back harder. And if you are capable, hit both his cheeks at the same time. Why give him the chance to turn the other cheek and become a saint? Hit him and tell him simultaneously,’I do not believe in violence, hence I have to stop it at the first chance. And remember that you cannot just be violent without being prevented.’”

You have to prevent violence if you respect life. And in another way too, it is respectful to hit the man, not to give him your other cheek, because that is very disrespectful. This may seem a little difficult for you: you hit me, and I don’t hit you but show my other cheek to you, and say, ”Please be kind enough to hit me.” I am trying to be superhuman and reduce you below humanity.

I am humiliating you far more than I can humiliate you by hitting you. By hitting you I simply declare you are human, I am human, and I speak the same language that you speak. We are both on the same ground. This is more respectful because you are not raising yourself higher; you are keeping yourself on the same ground as the other man. You are telling him, ”You are my brother; if you hit me you are going to get a bigger hit. Be watchful and be careful, because somewhere you may get into real trouble.”

Google celebrates MLK day with an image of sad, praying negroes. 

I am not in favor of your being superior to the other man. That’s what Jesus is saying: ”Be meek, be humble, turn the other cheek, because then you will inherit the kingdom of God.”

I am not promising you any kingdom of God.

You are not going to inherit anything. You have already inherited it – that is your life.

Be loving and respectful to it. Be loving and respectful to others. But don’t try to be superior and higher and above others. Don’t put the other man down.

Never do any harm to anybody, but never allow anybody to do any harm to you either; only then can we create a human world.

We have tried the other way in India, and the experiment has completely failed. Twenty-five centuries of slavery, slaughter, rape. The philosphy of non-violence created this impotence in the whole country, this weakness in the whole country. No, I am not in favor of creating impotence, slavery, and provoking people to do violence to you.

Never do violence of your own accord, but never allow anybody else to do it to you either. Only then is there a possibility of creating a human world. [MORE]