I have been repeating over and over again that he who cannot protect himself or his nearest and dearest or their honor by non-violently facing death may and ought to do so by violently dealing with the oppressor. – Mohandas Gandhi My take: I have a lot of respect for true pacifists, who take a thoughtful and very brave position that they will look death in the eye without blinking should it come to that. But I dont have any respect at all for people who use pacifism as an excuse for being intellectually or emotionally lazy. Theres nothing particularly praiseworthy about living in denial (Oh, that could never happen around here!), and thats not true pacifism anyway. Honest pacifists do a lot of internal work to be sure theyve really thought things through.They think about what their choices might cost the people who love them (could you really stay nonviolent and peacefully accepting as three attackers stripped your 10 year old daughter naked and raped her to death in front of you?) True pacifists consider such issues and come to peace with their choice even in the face of the worst outcomes; they dont just plan to call someone else to be violent on their behalf, but make a heartwrenching, eyes-wide-open *decision* to accept those outcomes rather than fight back. That deliberate, thoughtful commitment to an ideal can be admirable even when we dont agree with their conclusions. Unblinking acceptance of cold reality is a lot more, and a lot more meaningful, than just shutting your eyes and hoping trouble will pass you by.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 12:00:01 +0000
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