PEACE &ps

[Guest guest]

> Re: PEACE

>

>

>> , "Gloria Lee" <glee@i...> wrote:

>>>

>>>

>>> What if the year 2000 were a new beginning, an opportunity to turn,

>>all

>>> together, the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace

>>and

>>> non-violence? These are the 6 key pledges of Manifesto 2000.

>>>

>>>

>>> RESPECT ALL LIFE

>>> respect the life and dignity of every person without discrimination

>>or

>>> prejudice;

>>>

>>> REJECT VIOLENCE

>>> practise active non-violence, rejecting violence in all its

>>forms:

>>physical,

>>> sexual, psychological, economical and social, in particular towards

>>the most

>>> deprived and vulnerable such as children and adolescents;

>>

>>Hello Gloria,

>>

>>The year 2000 seems to be bringing deep changes on such subtle

>>grounds

>>affecting the very core of societies runing by the same calendar.

>>

>>I love the general idea. Yet, the "reject violence" point, rings to

>>me, very occidental, colonialist, imperialist even... In this sense,

>>rejecting violence is it not a form of violence as such?

>>

>>Antoine

>

>Well, I didn't word this..but I assume they meant it as the opposite of

>violence, seeing all these forms of violence as more than just physical ones

>seems a good idea to me. Do you have some "good violence" in mind here? I am

not

>understanding your point, Antoine, so please say more.

>>

PS

For some reason, people seem to have overlooked that these were suggested as

ideals one might voluntarily undertake for oneself, like a vow or pledge..

nothing was said about imposing this on anyone else or requiring or expecting

others to return the favor. I think if we look deeply into the causes of the

violence we already observe in our world, this would be more helpful than to

just look down on or reject those who are violent... it's a reaction to

something else..and that something else needs to be recognized.. the underlying

fears, the causes behind the behavior.