I see an intriguing comparison between Martin Luther King Jr's ethics of extreme non-violence and Morihei Ueshiba's (the founder of Aikido) art of harmony and unconditional love.

Let's look at the ethics of nonviolent martial art in light of Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of morality.

In stage one, a person does what's right out of fear of punshment, but will naturally do whatever feels good in the moment.

In stage two, a person develops a sense of fairness, but their own needs still come first. Seeking revenge and holding grudges occur at this level.

At stage three, a person develop's a sense of community, and is motivated to "take care of his own" through peer pressure. The individual adopts the values of the group. This may include a religious community, an athletic team, a gang, or national or cultural group. Harmful deeds may be done as easily as benevolent, as long as it goes along with the group.

At stage four, an individual maintains a given social order for its own sake, and is motivated by principles such as "doing your duty" and "respect for authority." External laws are followed, such as the ten commandments, and the laws of society.

97% of the population is operating at these stages of conventional morality. Although not fixed, a person has a level of morality where he spends most of his time.

This is where people like Martin Luther King jr and Ueshiba depart from the morality of the masses.

At stage five, a person believes in the rights of every individual, including an equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, regarless of their personal beliefs and opinions.

Martin Luther King believed that (unlike someone operating from a strict law and order morality) some laws are simply not just, and that we have a right, and even an obligation, to defy unjust laws. He valiently battled the laws of discrimination, and fought for poor people of all races.

At stage six, a person feels unconditional love, and is motivated by self-chosen ethical principles defined by his own conscience. This person is not motivated by reward or recognition, but serves others because it is his nature to do so. He will give more than justice requires, taking total responsibility for his actions, because he no longer feels free to choose wrong.

People at stage five and six agree with the philosophy of Mortimer Adler, that justice is the one unlimited good.

Astracting from Kohlberg's theory, a high-level martial artist operates as if there is no "other," because we are all connected as part of the Tao. Here is where true spirituality is born. This philosophy was taught by both Ueshiba and Jesus, when they said to "harmonize with your attacker" and "love your enemy." This does not mean that you need to submit to evil; an ethical warrior will fight for true justice.

The largest notable difference between the ethics of Ueshiba and Martin Luther King was the principle of nonviolent resistence. Martin Luther King spoke to the more noble part of a human being, while Ueshiba realized that there are many people operating at a stage-one level of morality who understand nothing but force. There are some people who simply cannot be reasoned with. The most beautiful thing about Ueshiba's art was that he could enforce justice, through the principles of harmonization, without harming anyone.

Aikitaiji, inspired by Aikido's principles of harmony, aims to transport individuals from conventional levels of morality, to the levels occupied by Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Ueshiba, and Laotzu.