Violence is not something that should be taken lightly, as there are many consequences that go along with it. Cesar Chavez understands these consequences and actively tries to avoid them. Chaves, a civil rights activist, writes this article to emphasize nonviolence over violence as a modem for an authentic change. Chaves applies the "if...then" structure throughout his article to illustrate the importance of nonviolence.…
Barash, David P. Ed. 2000. Approaches to peace: a reader in peace studies. New York : Oxford…
terms aren’t met, nonviolence gently reminds rather than forces the adversary of the terms. In…
An increasing theme in T. M. Luhrmann’s book When God Talks Back is people of the Vineyard church claiming that God is their best friend. A best friend whom they can tell all their secrets too and who speaks back to them in their minds or through audible experiences. The author dives into a group of people that go to God for even the minutest issues in their life, from what color shirt they are going to wear to if they should take a new job. The churchgoers Luhrmann interacts with are a special breed of evangelists that claim that everyone can have God as their best friend. As a Christian one must question the morality of saying the Supreme Being is their best friend. Having a relationship with God and praying pales in comparison to these people that have “date night” and going out of their way to make sure every little thing in their life is ran by God. If “all things are good in moderation”, wouldn’t one believe the Vineyard…
Conflict is inevitable, and constantly present in life. Whether it’s obvious and right in front of your face or hidden beneath a pile of lies someone will always suffer because of it. Although that being said, without it- would we truly understand the importance of peace? There are some out there who believe that some of the greatest triumphs and acts of the human spirit were during times of great conflict such as wars and repression’s. But I believe that these events have caused the most horrific demonstrations of human nature in the act of killing the innocent.…
Nonviolent struggle has been utilized countless times throughout the history of civilization. Contrary to popular belief, many of the world’s greatest wars are fought free of violence. Nonviolent actions offer an alternative approach to conflict resolution; one that does not resort to literal war and prevents blood shedding. The motivation behind these struggles vary, but the desired outcome is always to promote or prevent a change. Conflicts are diverse, and typically they are concerned with social, economic, ethnic, religious, national, humanitarian, and political matters (Sharp, 2005, p. 15).…
Malcolm X: Without violence there will be no change. If nonviolence worked I would go for it, but it…
Within the chapter, Ellens adamantly presents a recurring theme involving the importance of recognizing and understanding the functionality of psychology and spirituality as they pertain to the operation of the human spirit (Ellens , "The Unfolding Christian Self", 1992). It is his belief that one’s psychological development and spiritual growth are intrinsically connected, consequently presenting us with the dyad of the unfolding Christian, the duality being the unpredictable growth of the spirit and the predictable patterns of psychological development (Ellens , "The Unfolding Christian Self", 1992). In the interest of further delving deeper into this matters, Ellens briefly analyzed the works of Jean Piaget, via Margaret Krych, Erik Erikson, Lawrence Kohlberg, James W. Fowler, and Robert C. Fuller. Upon the conclusion of his transitory assessment of the Fowler’s work, Ellens transitioned an in-depth…
Letnes, Ron. "Nurturing nonviolence at camp." Camping Magazine Mar.-Apr. 1993: 47. Popular Culture Collection. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.…
He stated that using the peacemaking may not be received well with police officers. However, to know that suffering will not end anytime soon. It would not n=be logical to think that this would work.…
From reading Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative and other English-language sources relating to Metacom’s or King Philip’s War, one can derive a fairly clear understanding of how English participants viewed the origins and outcomes of the conflict as well as how they wanted posterity to interpret the war. The English did not try to show the indigenous side, but a critical reading of the sources can give us some clues to understand the indigenous experience. The Natives had contrasting cultural and psychological views from the European invaders that caused them to initiate and eventually lose King Philip’s War, leaving the participants…
presupposition of our faith, and the manner of our action. Nonviolence as it grows from Judaic-Christian…
The Bhagavad-Gītā has been an influential work in the Hindu religion since its completion in the first century B.C.E. Likely written in response to the growth of both Buddhism and Jainism in this time period, the Bhagavad-Gītā displays a new light towards how the lower castes in society can ascend to higher castes. Eventually those in the lower castes can reach the grand state of nirvana (Jeste and Vahia 198). Prior to the Bhagavad-Gītā, this possibility seemed unachievable to Hindus excluded from the Brahman caste. Numerous teachings are showcased throughout the text in the advice Krishna gives to Arjuna, leading Arjuna to the correct decision concerning his dilemma over whether or not to fight his brethren. By following these lessons, individuals of the lower class can climb the Hindu social ladder, giving followers of Hinduism similar ways to achieve good karma when compared to other impeding religions of that era. Interestingly, the Bhagavad-Gītā was likely written by priests and teachers of the Brahman caste. The creation of the work cost them some of their supremacy over the religion due to the greater appreciation for those of the lower caste. However, this individual or group of individuals probably wrote the Bhagavad-Gītā to stop the dilution of the Hindu religion as well as to address essential human characteristics as the world’s first philosophers and, perhaps, psychologists. With this intent in mind, the Bhagavad-Gītā applies to the Hindu religion as well as mankind. Insightful analysis of the Bhagavad-Gītā shows that it functions more as an allegory with numerous layers as opposed to literal Hindu scripture.…
While both Buddhism and Hinduism are opposed to war, the former discourages violence at all times, while the latter permits bloodshed in certain cases. Buddhism is a gentile, submissive faith which promotes peace. A famous quote by Kamcupamasutta, a Buddhist mentor, proclaims, “even if thieves carve you limb from limb with a double-handed saw, if you make your mind hostile you are not following my teaching.” The Buddha himself preached to love your enemies, regardless of how harshly they treated you. Hence, a faithful monk, named Thich Nhat Hanh, declared that he would let himself be killed even if he was the last Buddhist on the planet, because fighting back would mean betraying the teachings and giving way to desire. From a slightly more logical standpoint, Hinduism supports the use of violence in self-defense. A quote from the religion’s sacred text commands, “may your weapons be strong to drive away the attackers, may your arms be powerful enough to check the foes,” (Rig Veda 1-39:2). In another Hindu tale, Krishna tells Arjuna to fight since the warrior’s dharma, or duty, calls for it. Also, the god reassures the warrior that his soul will be kept holy; only the body would be harmed. Thus the ethics of Buddhism prohibit killing of any kind; the ethics of Hinduism, however, allow war under two circumstances: self-defense and duty.…
Nonviolence is the practice of being harmless to self and others under every condition. It comes from the belief that hurting people, animals or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and refers to a general philosophy of abstention from violence based on moral, religious or spiritual principles. The term "nonviolence" is often linked with or even used as a synonym for peace, passivity and pacifism. Non-violence (with a hyphen) refers more specifically to the absence of violence and is always the choice to do no harm or the least harm, and passivity is the choice to do nothing. Sometimes non-violence is the same as being passive, and other times it isn 't. So for example, if a house is burning down, the most harmless appropriate action is to put the fire out, not to sit by and passively let the fire burn. There is considerable confusion and contradiction written about non-violence, harmlessness and passivity. A person may advocate nonviolence in a specific context while advocating violence in other contexts. For example, someone who passionately opposes abortion as a life-saving practice may concurrently advocate violence to kill an abortionist…