How useful are Symbols?

Symbols, like numbers, are of limited use in satyagraha – recall that satyagraha means “clinging to truth.” And, as with our overestimation of the importance of numbers, we have tended to overuse symbols. Perhaps the most tragic example of a symbol gone wrong is the June 4, 1989, massacre in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Students, workers, and many supporters gathered in vast numbers to demonstrate their solidarity and desire for reform. Because they lacked a long-term strategy, however, the square itself and their refusal to leave it became a symbol of their disobedience and a distraction from the eminently legitimate goal of democratic reforms. We all know the results. On the other hand, if the resisters had left the square and gone back to their universities and villages to educate the people and to take concrete, achievable steps for change, the democracy movement in China – and the brave people who embodied it – might still be alive…

Nagler, N. Michael (2014) The nonviolence handbook: a guide for practical action. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, p.50.