tesija_R@... asked this question on 4/24/2000:

i am doing a research on nonviolence defense. Specificlly my research paper thesis is Nonviolent defense is better way to prove a point or win a war, on a long run rather than violent defense.

I am looking any expert opinion on this topic... and you seem to know a lot about nonviolent defense so i decided to ask you!

all the information that you submit me will be properly cited in my work! thank you!

rainbowlady gave this response on 4/25/2000:

I suppose the most telling piece of evidence for me is has the use of violence in the past stopped us from having wars? It does stop them temporarily, but it does not stop them permanently. Witness all the civil wars in this world now that are based on past "wrongs" that occured decades, maybe even centuries ago. The Serbs fighting the Croats. The Hitu fighting the Tutsi's. The Palestinians against the Israelis.

The musical classic "West Side Story" shows the Jets and the Sharks. They hate each other without even knowing each other. Why? Cause they're Puerto Rican which makes them "the enemy". Or the Bloods and the Crips (sp?). They're the enemy because they wear blue or red. Does that make any sense?

Look at the Mafia. At gang warfare. Gang A, let's call them the Brigs, and gang B, the Gaols, live in neighboring "turfs". A cousin of a Gaol member arrives in town and unknowingly drives through Brigs turf. The Brigs see this cousin, call him Bob, hanging with the Gaols and get upset because he drove through their turf. They're SURE it was an intended insult or an attempt to move in on their turf. Or at least that's what they FEAR. So to "prevent" this, they go on the offensive. They drive by and slash the tires or Bob's car as a warning. Well, now the Gaols, to maintain their pride, HAVE to retaliate and the violence escalates until someone is killed or it may even erupt into a riot. Let's say the Brigs are black and the Gaols are white. Now it becomes a race issue instead of two groups of "boys" trying to pretend they're "men".

Again, look at what our "violent" defense has gotten us in terms of nuclear weapons. We now not only have enough weapons to destroy the world many times over, but we have the problem of what to do with those warheads now that we don't really need them anymore. How to dispose of the nuclear waste....

Violence begets violence because we, as individuals and as societies, reap what we sow. It is the law of cause and effect. But why are we violent in the first place? We act with violence because we fear being the victims of violence-- it is a "preventative measure", so to speak. It's akin to a kid walking into a new school, fidning the toughest kid in the school and picking a fight with him. Win or lose, the kid has just proven that he's not someone to be messed with cause he's not afraid to take anyone one. And that is his goal: to keep from being messed with. And yet IT IS OUR VERY FEAR THE DRAWS VIOLENCE TO US. In other words, we only get what we're fearful of. We're placed in violent situations because we fear being placed in violent situations. If we can change what we fear...or better yet, fear nothing, then there is no need for violence.

Hope this helps.

Love and Light, Rainbowlady

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