Reply #13: Yes [View All]

[zebra]

Yes I am a pacifist and I enjoy trying to defend the position intellectually.

I think that Jesus and Gandhi were not true pacifists (at least the way history records them) as they seem to have had subconscious masochistic streaks.

So psychologically you could define pacifism as having no habitual tendency to sadism or masochism. Therefore a pacifist is not emotionally moved by the hypothetical "What if...'s" --

eg What if someone busted into your house? What if a phalanx of Chinese soldiers was heading towards your city? etc.

My answer is I may react violently but even that is giving too much power to that thought scenario - losing my sense of detachment and humour and letting myself get entangled in passive-aggressive psychological tension.

Am I being smug or naive? I would argue not but that shouldn't surprise you if you see where I'm coming from:)

Okay but what about the battles and fights which are going on right now as opposed to future 'what-ifs'? Should the people involved not defend themselves? Well I would say they should as much as possible pay attention to their opponent(s), such that the conditions for resolution are maximised; and try to centre themselves in a non-agressive and non-victim posture.

The thing is I've heard and read the most horrible things about eg both Bush and Bin Laden, but I don't personally know them and haven't personally been a victim of them (though I've felt fear towards them). And even if I saw one of them on live TV victimising someone I identify with, I would try to see them with a blank slate if I ever met them in the future (Of course I might reactively attack them, but what good would it do? )

Now if I lost a loved one to an attacker I would probably never resolve that, until perhaps I died and discovered life was just a dream. So I am aware that to be a pacifist would mean being superhuman, but I won't affirm that I'm not superhuman even if I'm not - because I'm stubborn and perhaps delusional:)

The litmus test is humour. If I'm losing my sense of humour and detachment I know I'm going off beam in my thinking.

Am I saying I'm a perfectly accomplished pacifist? Yes I am, or I'll fake it til I make it anyway.

Ironically the 'violent' person in Post #1 may be more of a pacifist than someone who has never done serious violence but who flinches at the pacifist question; and may be a safer person to be with in a crisis:)