A Brief Op-Ed on Pacifism

Pacifism is not a moral philosophy of inaction or passivity. Quite the opposite, it is electric, expansive, even forceful. See Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches if you don’t believe me. A pacifist cannot be a coward, but must be prepared to stand up and speak on behalf of peace and higher ideals, even humbly, even faced with violent retribution.

As a pacifist, I see no problem with people who are not catagorically opposed to war, but with war apologists and warmongers. Journalist Chris Hedges refers to the “mythmakers” of war who fly the flag of patriotic glory while shunting compassion, caution, and bitter reality into a dark closet of the architecture of social conscience. (War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges, 2002 Anchor Books)

A moderate approach to violence is far better than an extreme thirst for glory and battlefield meaning. While my own philosophy may lie far to an extreme, I am at least able to respect the “moderates.” The same cannot be said for those at the other end of the spectrum.

As a species, we must defy the dictates of the gods of war, starve them of their blood sacrifices, and evolve past their station. Conflict, strife, and even violence may be human, but mass killings are well beneath us. We can no longer attempt to justify such behavior with a thin veneer of false idealism. It is time now, with our ever-increasing capacity for mass suicide, to take this stand and hold our ranks firm in the name of peace and prosperity.

~ NG