Nehru
2nd April 2011, 08:24
Before anyone goes into a hissy fit, let me state that I am a nonviolent man, never indulged in the slightest form of aggression. Even the thought of raising my voice scares me.
At the same time, I cannot ignore the fact that most people in this world aren't objective and take sides. For instance, a person who makes millions by exploiting the poor isn't concerned about logic or fact. Logically, he may see he's wrong, but profits trump logic. A US citizen may see that the war in ME is wrong, but as a citizen with all the sentimentality of patriotism, he could well take sides and ignore facts.
So what I mean is that nonviolence works when there's a fair degree of objectivity, when people are willing to face facts. But despite providing a mountain facts, if people say, "War is good, let those Muslims die, our country comes first" etc. etc., how can a logical approach work? And if logic fails (and it most certainly will when dealing with irrational people), is violence the last resort?
At the same time, I cannot ignore the fact that most people in this world aren't objective and take sides. For instance, a person who makes millions by exploiting the poor isn't concerned about logic or fact. Logically, he may see he's wrong, but profits trump logic. A US citizen may see that the war in ME is wrong, but as a citizen with all the sentimentality of patriotism, he could well take sides and ignore facts.
So what I mean is that nonviolence works when there's a fair degree of objectivity, when people are willing to face facts. But despite providing a mountain facts, if people say, "War is good, let those Muslims die, our country comes first" etc. etc., how can a logical approach work? And if logic fails (and it most certainly will when dealing with irrational people), is violence the last resort?