posted July 24, 2004 06:06 PM              

It worked against the Nazis on several occaisions (I can type-up examples if you like; I don't presently have the time, though).
It worked against the British in India.
It didn't happen without bloodshed, sometimes massacres against those who stood, but it worked in the end; often with fewer casualties than would've been possible in all-out physical conflict.

But some say that the above's only been possible because of some inherint decency found in the aggressor - or at least because of a desire to look the part, either for their own cognitive harmony or for the sake of their reputation.

Do you believe that at some level humanity has a common base of decency?
That is, do you believe that, despite whatever may be done, it must be justified in their own mind; that those justifications must hold water given their belief system; and that most belief systems have a common core of respect towards other humans?

But, then, how easy is it to objectify another human/being out of significance?
How much mental distance must be put between aggressor and agressee before they're no longer considered part of the same class?
Does the ease with which people declass others vary according to belief system, or is that ease (or hesitancy) a relative constant throughout our species?

My final questions (given all of the above) goin' out to all ya'll fellow peace-niks:
If the success of "non-violent" conflict is at least partially dependant upon the opponent recognizing and coming to terms with the humanity of the other, what's to be done in the present in the face of a seemingly irrational opponent?
Should strides be made to understand the terms under which all parties are operating?
Can attempts at mediation and reconcilliation be made in the face of a genocide?
What can actually be done in the immediate to stop hatred lashing out?
Can non-violence work against a force like the RUF of Sierra Leone, or are after-the-fact war crimes tribunals the best that can be done for justice?

Some background info on the RUF and the civil war in Sierra Leone: http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/Africa/SierraLeone.asp http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1765611.stm

posted July 24, 2004 07:02 PM              

I'm glad that they put a halt to the mining of diamonds, that was probably the best thing to do. Unfortunately, too many know that they are there for the taking, so it really doesn't take away the aggression of those who thirst for "the precious". (said in my best Schmegal voice, from Lord of the Rings).

How do you neutralize a situation like that? There is so much motivation for greed fueled aggression there. God sets up the tests, and we repeatedly fail them. What is to become of us? What could we do, as nations to help the situation? We cannot make the citizens suffer through economic sanctions and the like. The citizens of the land are not the perpetrators. It's a situation that definately calls for brute force, to effectively counter the brute force of greed. Sad that so many would let that be their undoing. They will know their errors one day, when confronted in the afterlife with them. They will evolve too, inevitably, most of them, anyway.

I guess it's part of life on this plane. And I guess we're living in a time where many many souls are in hyper-learning mode. That translates to a very non-sedimentary society, unfortuneately. Yes, all humans are on the learning path, to achieve perfection, and consequently become worthy of merging back with God, and the harshest lessons are the often the most significant. No matter what side of an issue one is on, they are flexing their life force in a process of refinement. Some are purging an awful lot of thick crud, like greed and selfishness, while others are much more ahead and working on very thin, less heavy, more vaporous like impurities, like those of self-righteousness, and piousness.

The point is, we're all on a path. To somewhere, and when paths cross, and cause restrictions to one another's paths, a call must be sent out to the ethers to determine who's path is more important. And a resolution usually means, both are fed. The manner in which the situation plays out, is part of the perfect plan. I think when the focus is on what is good for MORE people, in terms of who benefits, the outcome is RIGHT. When it's not the case, we go back to the drawing board. Again and again and again.

Spiralling there...sorry.

In short, the only way this conflict will be neutralized, is if the greedy realize their lessons without having to die, thus, change their hearts while still alive. You know, there may not be all of eternity to do this. Time could be limited, for all we know. Not all will make it in time.

We live in a very spiritually intense time, and we must have signed up for this, to live during this time for a good reason. Our task is to figure out what it is, and carry it out.