How Far Can Non-Violence Take You?

How Far Can Non-Violence Take You?

I am a true believer in non-violence... to a point. That point is when you are convinced that physical harm will come to you or yours if you don't break your pledge of non-violence. Words shouldn't be a good excuse for violence. Like in the movies when the bad guy insults the good guy's girl and the good guy punches the bad guy. He deserved it; right? Wrong; that is called "Assault!" But there is an exception to everything. If someone says to me, "I am now going to kick your ass!" There is no shame in running away. If I can escape, I'm gone. But if there is no escape, I might even strike first. Marshall Dillon might wait for the bad guy to shoot first, but I figure that if a killer is in the street facing me down, his intention is clear. I am going to shoot him and it's okay if the Deputy opens up on him too. It is all about actually believing that there is a real threat. A first strike can actually be self-defense. And one more thing; if you bring the fight to me, I am not going to follow any rules. I am going to fight with every ounce of strength and cunning I can muster and I will fight dirty.

What will happen if Iran or Hamas gets a nuke? Will Israel strike first in self-defense? They have done so in the past with conventional weapons. And how will the U.S. react to another attack on our soil, especially if it is nuclear or biological? The U.S. went into Iraq and killed 100,000 people to arrest one guy who threatened our President's daddy.

Now, I'm scared. I feel threatened. I am beginning to think that striking first might be the right choice, and to make sure we get them all, we are going to have to kill a lot of people. Sadly, most of them won't be the actual bad guys that deserve to die, but it would be justified if it's self-defense... Right? Iran, North Korea, and every country who thinks they can threaten us and get away with it BEWARE! The precedent has been set. If we are scared, we can kill anybody.

Actually, I still do not believe in striking first. It goes against my non-violent nature. Unfortunately, fear is a disease that can turn a peaceful person into a vicious animal and I'm afraid that I am not immune.

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