Dear Editor:

Inspired by ancient texts, both Hindu (Bhagavad Gita) and Judeo-Christian (the Bible), Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr taught the efficacy of peaceful civil disobedience as a response to governmental injustice and oppression. Militant nonviolence is the only ethical means to oppose evil and create a more harmonious world.

Gandhi’s leadership in the struggle for India’s independence is the supreme example of how this practice can bring about positive and long-lasting change. Facing the full force of the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful empire in world history, he mobilized millions of his countrymen and women, of all religious traditions, in heroic opposition to British colonialism. Their triumph was the creation of the independent state of India in 1947.

Under the rubric of Satyagraha (Sanskrit for satya, ‘truth’ and agraha ‘persistence;’ ’soul force’), Gandhi employed multiple tactics of peaceful resistance: civil disobedience, boycotts, non-cooperation, and general strikes. He and his followers displayed almost superhuman courage and discipline in the face of British brutality and intimidation. Their collective willpower forced their imperial overlords to end British colonialism in South Asia by recognizing the new nations of India and Pakistan.

All of which brings us to the current crisis of American authoritarianism. Sitting at home while watching the news and complaining to friends and neighbors no longer suffices. The danger to our freedom as democratic citizens under the rule of law is palpable and growing. Donald Trump’s continuous redaction of the United States Constitution must be met with resolute opposition — but principled and peaceful opposition. Any protests that devolve into violence merely serve Trump’s ultimate goal of imposing martial law and canceling elections.

I never imagined that I would live to see a hostile takeover of my country. Fortunately, we have powerful strategies to meet this crisis and reestablish our 250-year-old rights.

Bill Hammond

Boothbay