I am thankful for productive and pioneering pacifists. I taught this word (pacifism) to a new friend recently; I was surprised to hear that they were not already familiar with the term and concept. That moment serves as a reminder that there is still plenty of teaching and learning opportunities to be shared. It is a blessing in disguise that I will be able to work on these things for the rest of my life. It could feel exhausting, but I respect myself and others enough to be excited at the realization that I have plenty to do for forever :)
Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding, compassion, and love.
-Jane Goodall
I proudly deviate from predictable pacifism a bit based on a recent epiphany that I experienced. In the past, I would push pacifism to an extreme. Then, it dawned on me that I was not respecting my own being if I permitted myself to be a punching bag. A classic example of this struggle relates to my dilemma with mosquitoes. If I can avoid it, I never want to experience malaria. Does that mean I will attack any and all mosquitoes? No. If one tries to attack me, though, then it is on like Donkey Kong. Out of respect for my own safety and well-being, once something tries to harm or hurt me, I will protect and defend myself accordingly. This newer approach and perspective feels fair and balanced to me. I seek peace whenever possible, but that does not mean I will roll over and tolerate repetitive attacks. I can still turn the other cheek while practicing self-defense.
We don’t need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful.
-Taylor Swift
We all deserve to share this space in space. If we can simultaneously respect our lane as well as everyone else’s, then complete and collective coexistence becomes much easier. How many leaders and powers in charge lack basic respects and thrive off of control? Propagating past problems prevents productive progress towards pacifistic utopias. Sure, such ideas are lofty, but I respect myself enough to dream heftily. In all honesty, I respect all of us to not sell our total potential short. We all deserve the best possible outcomes.
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
-Thurgood Marshall
Pacifism is not passive; it is an active endeavor. We respect all beings by restraining ourselves from reactive actions that we would later regret; we retrain ourselves by applying more conscious thoughts and decisions during each and every day. We spread more respect around in ways that benefit everyone involved; we can peacefully lead by example. Hopefully others will follow along in due course, but we should not let that change or deter our plans; we can and will still proceed peacefully and respectfully <3
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.