Fistfight – push and pull

Explain that the group is going to play a quick physical game.

EITHER: Ask participants to stand up and get into pairs facing each other. Ask one person in each pair to close his/her hand tight in a fist.

OR: Have the pairs stand facing each other clasping each other’s hands and with their right feet touching toe to toe.

EITHER: Ask the other person to try to open their partner’s fist using any means they can think of. After a short while ask them to change roles. After another short while tell them to stop and ask the whole group whether anyone succeeded in opening the other persons’ fist. If they did, ask them to explain how. Ask if anyone tried asking ‘Would you kindly open your hand please?’

OR: Tell the group to imagine a line between their touching feet and that when the trainer says, Go, everyone’s goal is to get their partner across that line into their own space. When you say go almost everyone will forcefully attempt to pull their partner across the line. Watch for any pairs that do something different. Stop the pulling at any time by saying, ’Stop!’ Usually just a few seconds will do. Do not let it get out of hand – there should be no risk that someone might get hurt! Ask the group what happened. Generally, the bigger or faster person won. If any pairs came up with a solution other than trying to pull each other across, have them describe and demonstrate it. If not, take a random participant and get in the starting stance. Now, say to this participant, ’Let’s swap places’, and with hands still clasped slowly rotate until you have switched places.

Conclude by making the following points:

• Using physical force in a situation of conflict is something we habitually do, often without even thinking about it. Many conflicts could be avoided if we simply thought about the measures we use, and how we choose to use them.
• Nonviolence is about creative solutions without losers.
• Nonviolent solutions save the usual ‘winners’ energy and resources too.
• Do not limit yourself to following rules that don’t exist!
• If you are less powerful, your only option is to be smarter.