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.