Cooler heads, warmer hearts, patience and non-violence have proven,...

[Just Me]

,...more effective in influencing the direction of humanity than rage, conflict, chaos and violence which is ALWAYS wielded by those always wanting power for themselves.

Let us reject those human elements which serve the selfish rather than humanity,...OUR people.

That's all.

[sui generis]

1. non violence only works

if your opponent has a conscience.

It's best to be prepared not to sacrifice yourself for any idea, however you achieve that.

[G_j]

3. don't agree

I don't think either Gandhi's or MLK's opponents had much conscience, though neither ever condemned these opponents as "evil".

They appealed to the 'conscience' of the masses.

[JuniperLea]

4. You are right

Peaceful, pacifist actions work on the core of human nature. Gandhi and MLK both played off that simple fact... maybe not intentionally, but the end results are telling.

We need a Gandhi and an MLK to have a love in with BushCo.

[sui generis]

5. personally speaking I don't believe in the afterlife

and so I don't believe that I should support putting people in harms way, possibly at risk of dying, as a test of the conscience of the masses.

I absolutely believe in diplomacy and in working to do every conceivable, imaginable thing first, and to furthermore give it time to work, but I do not believe that in some weird worst case science fiction scenario that we should take any tool off the table.

Our lives are infinitely precious - they are not to be gambled with.

[G_j]

7. people make choices

of their free will. Life is a risk, some feel they would take risks for the benefit of the whole. That is a good thing IMO. Bless them!

[Just Me]

8. Yes. Our lives are infinitely precious and we must ACT like they are.

The greatest test of conscience is to reject hatred and embrace the love of life: that would be the very best of the human spirit. That would be the path towards peace AND life.

[sui generis]

9. I'm not advocating death and destruction by any means

but there are many paths towards peace and life. Defending one's self from violence does not require hatred or any disrespect of life, but it does require that one not be willing to be non-violent unto one's own bloody end.

I think you can be spiritual and whole and "the very best" both ways. I'm just saying in the final test, I would not put my head down for the axe, nor would I recommend anyone else do it for me.

Countless millions have died in non-violent non-resistance throughout the ages, with only a few notable success stories. It's not a great trade off. History gives fantastic lessons in this regard, and Ghandi and MLK are fragmentary exceptions. How many Christians died in the amphitheatres of Rome trying to spread their message of "love" and "peace"? How many children were taken with their idealistic parents into the abyss? How many minds cut short, how much lost to humanity because of misplaced idealism?

[JuniperLea]

2. *applauds justme*

Only love can conquer hate.

Yes, I get your drift. We should apply that to ourselves in our everyday lives, our posts here, and DEMAND it of our elected officials.

Thanks for lowering my rage level with that timely bit of advice. You rock!




:yourock:

[G_j]

6. Dr. King’s Gauntlet: Nonviolence or Nonexistence

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0119-05.htm

Dr. King’s Gauntlet: Nonviolence or Nonexistence
by Father John Dear

I consider Martin Luther King, Jr. the great, holy prophet to the nation. He was a prophet of nonviolence sent by the God of peace and justice to call our country to repent of the sin of violence and war and to call us to the new life of nonviolence and peace. On this national holiday, as we recall the life of Dr. King, I hope we can remember his central, crucial, critical message.

On April 3, 1968, the night before he was assassinated (by our government), Dr. King told thousands of people at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee: “For years now, we have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can we just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence; it’s nonviolence or nonexistence.”

..more..

www.thekingcenter.org/prog/non/6principles.html

Derived from "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence" in Dr. King's book Stride Toward Freedom, Harper & Row, 1958.

Martin Luther King- Six Principals Of Nonviolence

Six Principles of Nonviolence

--Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. It is active nonviolent resistance to evil...

--Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. The end result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation...

--Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people. Nonviolence recognizes that evil doers are also victims.

--Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform. Nonviolence willingly accepts the consequences of its acts...

--Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as the body. Nonviolent love is active, not passive. Nonviolent love does not sink to the level of the hater. Love restores community and resists injustice.

--Nonviolence recognizes the fact that all life is interrelated.
Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win.

Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change

--Information Gathering: In order to understand and articulate the issue, problem or injustice facing the community, you much first research, investigate and gather all vital information that will increase your understanding of the problem. Know all sides of the issue, including the other party's position.

--Education: It is essential to inform others about your issue. This minimizes misunderstandings, and gains you support and sympathy.

--Personal Commitment: Eliminate hidden motives and prepare yourself to accept suffering, if necessary, in your work for justice.

--Negotiation: Using grace, humor and intelligence, confront the other party with a list of injustices and a plan for addressing and resolving these injustices. Nonviolent communication does not seek to humiliate, but to call forth the good in an opponent.

--Direct Action: Used to morally force the opponent to work with you in resolving the injustices, direct action imposes a "creative tension" into the conflict.

--Reconciliation: Nonviolence does not seek to defeat the opponent, but to seek his/her friendship and understanding. It is directed against evil systems, forces, policies and acts not against persons.

------------------------

If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.

- Martin Luther King Jr., "Justice Without Violence", 4.3.57