We shape the world and the world shapes us.
The way of non-violence is not merely the deeply held
intention to live a life without conflict and the use of force;
it of necessity actively seeks to make explicit the contradictions
of thought, culture and convention that lead to violence
(and waste) of any kind, against oneself, against one’s
fellow human beings, or against the Earth.
The voice of frustration of the current era, amplified
a thousand fold by the populist rhetoric of ad hominem
Attack Radio and TV, flirts with violence of the most insidious
kind as a misleading means of releasing equally misguided rage.
This is a profound mistake.
The way of non-violence, as an alternative, takes the
rule of law and civil stability as its point of departure,
and seeks by means of argument, dialogue, or, when
necessary, civil disobedience, to widen the circle of
ethical awareness and discourse to include in a radical
and uncompromising way the whole of the human
community and the living Earth.