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Was wondering if I should share this; but then I thought, let the world Know.
The point is: There is Nary a statement from the ruling #bjp, or the #judiciary, about such Heinous things. Which is Why We see such things again and again.
Notable in this is that they had shouted: ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ Salutations to Ram.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1180811030399729666
These will Stop Only When LOTS of People Raise their Voice, and Keep Raising their voices. Please Speak Up.
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Upon reflection, and from my Own experience as a catholic priest, would say that the reason the authorities find it difficult to take strong action against erring priests is that there are so few of them (priests).
It takes a minimum of 7 years of training. Taking my case, in my First of Seminary studies, there were 28 of us. Only 7 got ordained.
For all that, it is Both Criminal, and Sinful, (which is worse), not to take strong action against the erring ones. Paradoxically, Strong Action ‘Would’ bring in More vocations, I believe.
This is where I believe in Violence. If I were the Parent of an abused Kid, I would Thrash up the culprit, making sure to give Lots of ‘Lasting’ pain, without maiming him, – and, according to the 11th command, making sure that I am Not caught for the act.
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Is Violence the answer? No, of course. But at the same time, there is Nothing Wrong with Violence of the sort I prescribe. Am Absolutely Sure it will be Much Less than what awaits all these, and those who collude with them, namely, the ecclesiastical authorities.
“If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose his Faith in Me, it would be Better for that person to have a Large Millstone tied round his neck and Drowned in the Deep Sea.” Matt. 18:6.
Considering the Fear of the Sea that the Israelites, at least of Jesus’ time had, these were Extremely Powerful words. Uttered Knowingly, and Understood as such by the audience.
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Facade of St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Author Alessio Nastro Siniscalchi (CC BY-SA 2.5 Italy)
WARNING: Graphic Images
Pennsylvania Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, this week released the results of what may be the most comprehensive state investigation into child sexual abuse and cover-up by the Roman Catholic Church in the nation’s history [1A].
Examining over 70 years of church records, the grand jury investigation identified301 predator priests, and more than 1000 child victims, across six dioceses (Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton). Sexual abuse by priests was earlier uncovered in two other Pennsylvania dioceses (Philadelphia and Altoona).
Background
The Catholic Church sex scandal first began to surface in the 1980s [2]. A seminal investigation by the Boston Globe in 2002 led to the criminal prosecution of five predator priests [3].
Subsequent investigations revealed a widespread pattern of abuse across the United States and the globe, with an institutional…
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Preamble
Violence is of Concern for All. Everybody views it Askance. From their upbringing, I know that many Christians have questions about it. Many people make a Blanket statement that Violence is Wrong. But it is Only a Method. An Instrument, like a knife. A Surgeon uses it and We call it a Scalpel, and We find nothing wrong in it, though, Strictly speaking, Violence has been performed. But that same Scalpel can be used by the ungodly to take out Your eye, or in Intimidation and Torture. And here We call it Wrong, which it Is, of course. So Violence should Not be the Question. How it Used should be the one.
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More Commonly, and more Simply, Violence has two elements: Offence, and Defence. Most of us forget this, which is why there is so much confusion. Many Christians (among others) Freeze at the word Violence.
Violence is to be Strongly Deplored, and its use in Aggression, Attack and Offence is Never Right.
On the other hand, the use of Force, even Armed Force – which is Nothing else but Violence – is Allowed in Defence. Violence is Not the Issue, but Aggression is. That is the essence of this article.
I am Not saying that We Stock up on guns. Nor am I saying that You take up arms against Your government. Interestingly, the BEST way of protesting against one’s own government is through Absolutely Non-Violent and Peaceful means.
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Let us consider:
Would any of these have put down their guns if a White Flag was showed to them?
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This post is further presented to You under the following Headings:
What is Violence?
The Most Common Thoughts on Violence.
Instances of Violence in the Bible.
Right and Wrong, with reference to Violence.
The Case of War.
Offence as the Best Defence.
Conclusion
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A. What is Violence?
Violence is Not just an Act, an Action. A threat of Aggression is Violence too.
The mere presence of police force armed with semi-automatic weapons and APC-like vehicles where Unarmed Civilians are gathered is Violence. This is Aggression.
Too many Girls run away from their homes in India. They reach cities hoping for opportunities on the silver screen. Many times they find themselves on the railway platforms or on streets, not knowing where to go. That is when ‘uncle figures’ turn up, and with kind voices, sweet talk and promises of help, take them to the red light areas (houses of prostitution). There, the mere presence of the rowdy elements, or, if that fails, beatings or burning with lighted cigarettes, etc, breaks their spirit. After that, The Threat of Violent consequences keeps them in their place, and they do not even dare to go to the police or such.
Putting a person in Jail is Violence. So is shooting a Mad Dog.
Frequently, You will see that My Kind of Writing is Violent, Haha! Well, when I see Ecology and Mother Earth getting Raped, when I see Our Tax money disappearing into a few pockets – so much so that maybe a Quarter of the World does not get a Square meal, when Quadrillions are taken in loan – to be paid back by the Future generations, when Rivers are diverted to make Soft drinks at the cost of Drinking Water and Irrigation, anybody who thinks I would be keeping an even 22 degrees centigrade of temperature like an air conditioner has another think coming!
Thus We will see that Violence is Not the culprit, but Aggression Is. Armed Aggression is to be Deplored, whereas Armed Defence is OK.
B. The Most Common Thoughts on Violence.
As soon as a Christian hears the word ‘Violence,’ the following sorts of thoughts fill his head.
Christ Allowed Himself to be arrested, man-handled and much worse, to the point of Crucifixion. He did not even Resist it, as He could have done in the earlier instance of Disappearing from the midst of those who wanted to push Him down a cliff, (Luke 4:29-30).
When Peter had hit the high priest’s slave, cutting off his ear, Jesus had said to him: “Put Your Sword Back in its place. All who take the Sword will Die by the Sword.” (Matthew 26:52).
We have heard that the Lord has said: “Vengeance is Mine.” (Deuteronomy 32:35). That means that HE would Avenge, and that We are Not supposed to that.
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C. Instances of Violence in the Bible.
Let us come to the Other side of things. Just moving along through the Bible, We have that Phinehas drove his Spear through both the man and woman as they were having Sex. Before anybody goes off in a huff, here is the reference. It would be too long to quote it. Numbers 25:1-9. Reading this, it would be good to remember that Catholics, of whom I am one, see to the Deeper meaning of things, what is called ‘Sensus Plenior.’ Phinehas was not punished. He was The Lord’s Punisher in this case.
Let us now come to The Time when the Hebrews returned to their Homeland. They had dwelt there after the time of Moses, circa 1250 BC, to the Fall of Jerusalem, circa 587 BC. That makes it about 700 years. From about 587 BC to about 445 BC, they had been Slaves By the Rivers of Babylon, first to the Assyrians, then to the Neo-Babylonians, and at the end to the Persians. It was Cyrus of Persia who gave them permission to return. Prior to all this, they had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred off years. Altogether, they had been Slaves, since the time of Abraham, to the time of Christ, for Centuries. No Wonder they hated the Idea of Slavery, and that they still do! These details are just by way of Background and Interest.
Safety, in those days, meant living within Walls. The crops were raised outside the Walls, and if attacked, they lost, at the most, the Crops. So, upon the return from slavery, building the Walls of Jerusalem was one of their priorities. And Naturally their ‘neighbours’ did not want those walls raised. The Hebrews would build, and their enemies would pull them down. What were they to do? Build or Fight?
What is More Important is What they were Inspired to do. Nehemiah, whom We can call the leader of the Hebrews at that point, writes: “Our enemies thought (of) Killing Us and Putting an End to our Work. …So I armed the People with Swords, Spears and Bows… Even those who carried building materials worked with one hand and kept a Weapon in the other.” (Excerpts from Nehemiah 4:11-17). You know, they were not there at some Fancy Dress Contest. Those Weapons, were to be Used, if Necessary. Image: www.artbible.net
THE ABOVE IS ONE OF THE CLEAREST EXAMPLES THAT EVEN ARMED SELF DEFENCE IS ALLOWED IN THE BIBLE.
There are two very Strong examples of Corrective Punishment in the Book. A Leader is Responsible for the Well Being of his People, for Justice, and the Upkeep of Values, etc. To Keep these Up, both Peter and Paul Uttered, and people Suffered, even Died. Acts 5:1-11, and 13:9-12.
D. Right and Wrong, with reference to Violence.
So Finally, What is one supposed to Do, and Not to Do? In other words, What is Right and What is Wrong, with reference to Violence?
If I am Insulted and Even Physically harmed, I am Not supposed to Retaliate. I am Not to keep going Tit for Tat, as they were doing during the time of Romeo and Juliet. In these things, I Keep my Peace.
But, if Loss of Property is involved, I Defend myself. This might sound Very Mundane, Gross, Untrusting.
Let us take a case. Supposing somebody enters Your house and, at Knife point (they use more of knives in India!) demands that You give him what little jewels and cash You have. What would You do? Give him Your cash and jewels hoping that he would go away? Next, supposing You have given him that, and he tells Your wife to disrobe and get down on the floor, What would You do? Crude and Gross of me? Do Excuse me. These things happen. Most of the time they tie up the man and do things right in front of him and the children. Anyway, What would You do?
So, in the case of Property, Life and Limb, and in cases of Outrage of Modesty or Worse, We see that We do Defend Ourselves and Ours, Tooth and Nail.
The Main question should be: Is Resistance Allowed? What kind, and to What Extent? Ineffective and Amateurish handling of a situation will only end in a Worse Scenario. If somebody wants to try Gandhian tactics, When the Safety, Life, etc, of One’s Wife and Children is involved, how can I stop him? An Armed and Unwanted person in the house or the street can be stopped Only by a Hit on the head or something, if that were possible.
Interestingly, I have read that Gandhi had said that the attacker was NOT to be resisted, even by crossing one’s hands on one’s head, etc. His followers were supposed to receive the blows without offering any resistance. And many had done that, and got their skulls broken open, and got hit between the legs. History cleverly hides the details of the aftermath of the many such attacks. And, People like him tend to forget, or conveniently forget, that they are extremely public figures, and even the most foolish policeman would not crack their skulls open, or hit them on the crotch. So, since it does not happen to them, they think it will not happen to others, OR, they do not know the shocking pain, the disabilities, and the consequent loss to the person’s family. I mean, that person ceases, to all practical purposes, to be any kind of provider or contributor to his family. On the contrary, he has to be provided for. So, people who keep shouting ‘Non-Violence, Non-Violence, Non-Violence,’ of this Gandhian type, are Inexperienced bunglers.
With regard to the Gandhian scenario, I would have said that We at least protect our Heads with our hands. Better broken hands than a Head Injury.
Coming back to my earlier point, I say that One Has to put an Attacker Out of Commission. Whether the Attack is on one’s Person, the Family or a Nation, the Attacker has to be Unarmed and Disabled. Whether the Ladies use a little Pepper Spray, or one uses a stick or a gun, We see that this involves Violence. Even in Jiu-Jitsu, the so-called Gentle art of self defence, after the person is thrown (gentle!), he is ‘Held’ in such a way that movement would cause him serious injury indeed. It is that fear that keeps the defeated assailant at bay.
No, I do not agree with Killing the person. Most of the time that should not be Necessary.
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Yes, Paul had said, in effect: “…Let Yourselves be Wronged, …Let Yourselves be Cheated.” (1 Corinthians 6:7, JB). But in the end these words are Hyperbolic, challenging Us to heights, telling Us NOT to get into Unnecessary and Mundane fights.
The Early Christians sold their All, and brought it to the Community. But they saw that it was Not practical. It is Not continued now. So We should not go by Hyperbola. Nor their Over-Enthusiastic Interpretations.
Even during the time of Christ there were Soldiers. They were Not told to give up the Army. All John the Baptist told them was: “Don’t take money from anyone by force or accuse anyone falsely. Be Content with Your Pay.” Luke 3:14, TEV.
It is Not the weapons, the Swords or the Guns. It is the Black Heart of man, the greedy Arms Manufacturers, the bad generals and the worse politicos.
Violence and Crime might not be touching Your individual lives. So Rejoice! May it Ever be So. But if it does enter Your Individual life, Learn to Deal with it Effectively. It would not be a Boxing Match. It would be a matter of Rape or Your Throat getting Cut. Do Not Shadow Box. It is Not too difficult to learn Self Defence techniques. Ladies Should Carry Chilli or Pepper Powder, and more that, learn to Use it, and Be Ready to do so.
It becomes a question of giving the evil minded a little Thrashing, or handing over Your Hard Earned money to ruffians and see Your Family Suffer. It could also be a case of coming away with a Child in the Womb. Society would say, “You were Violent.” The church would say, “No Abortion.” And I Agree with it too.
G. The Case of War.
Most of the time, in War or Armed Insurgency, One is the Aggressor, and the Other is the Victim. During Biblical times, both Egypt and Assyria/Babylonia, both super powers of that age, had clashed with each other. In Modern Times, the Threat or Violent Retaliation keeps adventurism in check. Yet people try, as putin is doing it in Ukraine.
When many people write against Violence, they speak against war. But War is a Two sided thing. If a country attacked or encroached, and no resistance was offered, there was No War at all! It is only aggression, attack or encroachment. It becomes war Only when one fights back. And Alas, One has to!
If all people were the same, if the next ruler was similar to the next one, the Citizenry would not mind. But if adolf hitler had succeeded in his conquests, what would have been the count of the dead? If putin were such a good ruler, Why are the People of Ukraine resisting him? I know that plenty of people criticize the West. But if that is such a bad country, just Why is there No Mass Exodus to putin’s russia?
When saddam was bombing the Kurds, what was the world to do? And today, when the ISIS is trying to take hold of Syria, (though the world is tired of that news), what are we to do? Say the Syrians, “What is the big deal? Let them rule You?”
If putin has not taken hold of Ukraine, it is because he faces the threat of retaliation. People are always going to be different. There will be mad dogs like hitler, saddam, pol pot, putin and the ISIS. And just like mad dogs, they will not desist until they are put down. And that is called War.
H. Offence as the Best Defence.
First of all, if You find a man forcing himself upon a woman, for instance, he is not going to give up because of words, threats or posturing. You have to take him down. And If You are going to do that, the world would say, “You should not take the Initiative in Violence.” Stupid world. It was like that in the Old West, was it not? The Law man had to draw after the crook. Otherwise it was called ‘Gunning a man down.’ Yes, the Lives of Our Law men have been So Cheap. For us.
It is like that in India. People keep dogs. These come out onto the streets and growl and bark at You. You are not even supposed to throw a stone at them! (Useless kicking them, as too many of us wear rubber slippers). If the dog bites You, the owners would be Deep inside their houses, hidden from You.
Make Sure Your Heart is Pure. That You do not Harbour Hatred and Rancour. Do Not take Personal revenge. But if You find Injustice or Aggression, Be Ready to Kick the Backsides. Hard. It is OK to do that.
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I would like to name my re-blog as: Why I believe in Violence.
It seems Ian Watkins has ‘claimed to actually procreate children so he’d have them to molest.’ These are The Most Evil words I have heard.
Ian Watkins is one reason. For people like Ian Watkins I would order a Hundred one-inch nails, (rusted ones, preferably), take up a hammer, and punch them in one by one all over his body. I would also see that he does not get medical treatment.
It would seem that governor McCrory passed that law and stood firm on it in order to Protect Children from Abuse. If so, Kudos to that man.
I am also coming to recognize that, just as there are ‘Large’ hearted people, there are ‘small’ hearted ones too. Like the MC who made fun of the little girl. Best thing to do in these cases is, Ignore them and Forget them.
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I read a post today by a fellow blogger who said she was considering giving up writing posts. She presented the dilemma that it seems many of us are faced with today. That being that if we express our feelings regarding what’s going on in our society , and those feelings don’t line up with popular opinion, that we can be ostracized, basically cast out from society.
I was pondering on how I would write this post on the drive to work this morning. That pondering went something like this:
Years ago, my daughter was awarded the Aloha Award at a luau she and I attended in Oahu for having the brightest ‘aloha spirit’ for the evening. This was at the end of the evening, after she had gone onstage with many others to ‘learn the hula’. The emcee went down the line speaking with each person and when he…
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Have just finished posting something about a Stupid piece of law, that kept Women from covering their Chests.
And within minutes come across a piece of news that shows how RTI (Right to Information Act) Activists have been Killed, not to say Frightened, Harassed and Even Beaten up. All this is open news, in the Media.
The words at left in the picture say: RTI Activist being attacked by Shiv Sena members in Maharashtra. From link quoted below.
I find it noteworthy that Three in the photo are carrying Whips. They are Organized!
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39 Killings, 275 Attacks in the last 10 years.
Beautiful laws… On Paper… That We are a Free Country… That We have the RIGHT to Information… It is All On Paper. Nobody can Deny that.
Reference:
http://khabar.ndtv.com/news/india/maharashtra-tops-on-attack-over-rti-activist-1241219
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[ This is a Violent Post. It is Only for those who would Dare. ]
2 Things have been on my mind these days.
Our Situation, and The Solutions
The Same thing can be put as The Situation, and A Song.
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Regarding the First, Our Situation,
Our governments treat what We would consider as Major Issues as minor points. Not Swa-Rajya at all.
A man is Lynched and Killed, and Horrible things happen to his Family, All done Over Unsubstantiated Rumours.
About this, the ruling party’s statement is that it was all done on the heat of the moment. In short, of No Great Moment. For them.
Reference and Image from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34398433
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A Similar, and Extremely Ugly and Disturbing statement is With reference to Rapes and Killings. One minister has said: ‘Boys will be boys.’
A Cartoon by the Famous Artist Kureel.
I have numerous posts on this Highly sensitive issue. You may click here for the First on the series; here for the Second, and here for the Third.
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Another part of the Situation is that
SHEER, PHYSICAL VIOLENCE IS PART OF INDIAN POLITICS.
I do not believe this is so in Any other part of the world. Ok, stalin, maybe. But the world of mao, Nepal a few years ago, saddam hussein, et al, were NOT, Are Not, Democracies. Whatever they might have said.
India, Professing to be a Democracy, hailing itself as the Largest Democracy in the World, resorts SO much to Violence. People going against the Ruling parties are Simply Done Away with. With Impunity.
PEOPLE KNOW THIS. AND KEEP QUIET. AND SURVIVE.
The woman is jayalalitha, the current chief minister of Tamil Nadu. And the one struggling to fall at her dirty feet is one of Tamil Nadu’s ministers!
The Tragedy is that she laughs. And both the men in the picture have swallowed their pride, if they had Ever had anything called by that name.
…But Survival is Not Living.
If We are Ready for Such Slavery, such Sychophancy, WHAT WAS THE NEED TO FIGHT FOR FREEDOM? What had We Lacked, except the Right to Make Our Own SALT?
But the Horror of the Situation is that YOU CAN GET KILLED If You raise up certain Issues.
All the Above can be said to Constitute the Situation of Our Lives.
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As Regards the Solutions, Well, One of them anyway, and in my opinion The Best, is that We Receive Strength from the Divine.
Among the Hundreds of songs that I have on my computer, these days I have listening to: “Shine, Jesus, Shine,” quite well rendered in the copy I have.
I have a habit of listening to these songs Repeatedly indeed, letting them play on for Hours, and frequently let that carry on for Days!
And one of the Lines I Like in this Song, One that Strikes Chords in my heart is: “Set Our Hearts on Fire!“
The above graphic depicts the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Burning with Love for us.
We NEED the Power, and Even Intervention of God in Our Lives to Live Meaningful, Powerful, Useful lives.
Let’s Just let these Sentiments Live in Our hearts. Our prayers Asking the Divine to give us Courgare and Strength, Will Be Heard.
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[ Most of the time we just listen, even to Such songs, just for the enjoyment they provide, not for the Religious Sentiments; or the Benefits they can provide.
Our Loss.
Also, Clapping and Cheering at the end of Songs of Religious Import takes away the Whole Effect. This has to be Absolutely Avoided. ]
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We are Also Apathetic. Which is Pathetic. This is part of Our Situation, of course. We are Not living Lives of Lions, which is Possible, and to be Desired. We are living like Jackals.
Have We Noticed that neither Animal Planet, nor Discovery, or the National Geographic carry programmes on the Jackal. That’s How Lowly it is considered to be.
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We Need Not Continue living as Jackals.
Everybody in their Right Mind Hates Violence. And Everybody cries out ‘Peace, Peace, Peace,’ Everybody says: “Down with Violence.” Can a Christian Use Violence? Even to me the question sounds peculiar! But it is a query that Many People have! And, I have used the word Christian as I am a Christian Priest, and cannot really answer it for those of Other religions.
Violence is taken as a Dirty word. As far as possible, it Has to be Avoided, of course. And its use in Aggression, Attack or Offence is Never Right.
On the other hand, the use of Force, even Armed Force – which is Nothing else but Violence – is Allowed in Defence. Violence is Not the Issue, but Aggression is. That is the essence of this article.
Defence is something ‘Of the Moment.’ If I am beaten up, I cannot come home, pick up a stick, and go back and beat up my attacker. That is Not Defence, that it Attack. And Violence in this situation would be Wrong. That is what the Lord calls ‘Vengeance’ in the Bible.
At the same time, if the fellow(s) are lying in wait and in ambush, it would not only be Necessary, but Right, to Defend Yourself and Yours. You would have to Encircle them and put them out of commission.
The example that springs to mind for this is that of Red Indian attacks on small settlements. In a situation like that, Proper Defence would have been to Fire the Shots First, if possible. I see No Wisdom in getting Your house set on fire, just because they had not fired the first shot! For background notes on this Please see below.
The Red Indian had been cheated, and No Proper Settlements/Arrangements were made for them. This was Violence against them. And just because certain peoples had advanced with reference to Iron weapons and guns, etc, they had seen fit to Enslave, carry away, and Sell practically whole nations. That Same method of Force and Violence is used in running houses of Prostitution today.
Going back to one more example of Offence (first) as the Best Defence, I would say that the Idea that the Law officer in the Old West was supposed to draw only after the ruffian had done so was Idiotic and Wrong. Whether a man volunteered to be a Law officer or whether he took a salary, How Long did We expect him to keep up the speed of Draw? When he got old, what was he supposed to? Be the Victim of Revenge? We have held the lives of Our Law men cheap. We made them Spectator Sport. It was Criminal on the part of those who drew up such laws.
I am not saying the above with reference to the Ferguson affair. Darren Wilson firing off TWELVE LIVE ROUNDS at unarmed Civilians was Criminal.
In the situation that followed, the mere presence of police force armed with semi-automatic weapons and APC-like vehicles where Unarmed Civilians are gathered is Violence. This is Aggression.
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Was just watching the movie, ‘The Next Karate Kid.’ Two things there are Noteworthy. One, that physical instructor says at one point: “If You find somebody throwing a Candy wrapper, make them Eat it,” or words to that effect. I am Not commending or suggesting Violence like this. This is Stupidity. The other is the instance where Julie goes into a store to buy some things, and there are three men there, who set their dog upon her, and later come out and try to Grab her. Here I would I ask YOU a question: “If You were the Girl’s Guardian, What would YOU have done at that point?”
If one could at least Run and Escape, the discussion would be over. But would three men let a Young and Beautiful Girl Escape? The question is Not whether We know how to fight. Rather, it is, Whether We think pulling up a few chairs and starting a Counselling session would work here! Are these Impossible scenarios? Let us Not be Naive.
Came across the travails of one Gopika, who travelled by train and had some Nasty experiences. Upon Great Insistence from her and her companions, police did arrive, but went back after scolding her and her companions! To read her account, please click here.
I have read some Great peace-lovers writing just How they had allowed themselves to be beaten up, and never raised a finger. As I said, Great, Super, Wonderful and Marvellous! But the Question comes when one of Our Family members is Threatened. As Julie was.
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Next, with regard to War. Do We Really think hitler would have stopped his mass murder, his ethnic cleansing, with just Germany? Had he not attacked even that giant, russia? If Everybody had gone around waving White flags, do We think he would have desisted? What about saddam hussein bombing the Kurds, People of his Own land? Or when putin is sending tanks into Ukraine, are We to start making passionate speeches in the UN? putin is going to stop by that? 🙂
Or is the ISIS going to lay down its arms if the pope, the dalai lama or the shankaracharya asks them?
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I am Not saying that We Stock up on guns. Nor am I saying that You take up arms against Your own government. Interestingly, The BEST way of protesting against one’s own government is through Absolutely Non-Violent and Peaceful means.
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Let us now come to The Time when the Hebrews returned to their Homeland. They had dwelt there after the time of Moses, circa 1250 BC, to the Fall of Jerusalem, circa 587 BC. That makes it about 700 years. From about 587 BC to about 445 BC, they had been Slaves By the Rivers of Babylon, first to the Assyrians, then to the Neo-Babylonians, and at the end to the Persians. It was Cyrus of Persia who gave them permission to return. Prior to all this, they had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred odd years. Altogether, they had been Slaves, since the time of Abraham, to the time of Christ, for Centuries. No Wonder they hated the Idea of Slavery, and that they still do! These details are just by way of Background and Interest.
Safety, in those days, meant living within Walls. The crops were raised outside the Walls, and if attacked, they lost, at the most, the Crops. So, upon the return from slavery, building the Walls of Jerusalem was one of their priorities. And Naturally their ‘neighbours’ did not want those walls raised. The Hebrews would build, and their enemies would pull them down. What were they to do? Build or Fight?
What is More Important is What they were Inspired to do. Nehemiah, whom We can call the leader of the Hebrews at that point, writes: “Our enemies thought (of) Killing Us and Putting an End to our Work. …So I armed the People with Swords, Spears and Bows… Even those who carried building materials worked with one hand and kept a Weapon in the other.” (Excerpts from Nehemiah 4:11-17). You know, they were not there at some Fancy Dress Contest. Those Weapons, were to be Used, if Necessary. Image: www.artbible.net
THE ABOVE IS ONE OF THE CLEAREST EXAMPLES THAT EVEN ARMED SELF DEFENCE IS ALLOWED IN THE BIBLE.
It becomes a question of giving the evil minded a little Thrashing, or handing over Your Hard Earned money to ruffians and see Your Family Suffer Want. It could also be a case of Your coming away with a Child in the Womb. If You Fight there, Society would say, “You were Violent.” The church would say, “No Abortion.” And I Agree with it too. So, Let society say what it will. Defend Yourself, with Force, if Necessary.
As Mr. Miyagi had said, “Fight to Win.” If You had to fight, and If You had to be Violent, in Defence, No need to have a party, but have a Good night’s sleep, and Carry on with Your Life!
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Nobody in his Right mind could Like, or Want War. Yet there are some, who, without knowing the effects of War, call for it. For example, if reports can be believed, pakistan has been firing shells across the border of India. And again, it is reported that chinese troops have/had made numerous incursions into Indian territory. In these instances, there are a group of people who want the Indian govt to ‘take on’ these countries. Meaning, military engagements.
As I said, these people seem to have No idea about The effects of War on the Families of the Soldiers, often rendering them Orphaned and Widowed, and the Soldiers themselves Maimed and Traumatized.
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All that being so, the call by ‘Armchair Philosophers’ for Peace is Laughable. One needs the Experience of Beatings, Pain and Shame before One can even speak, or write on Philosophy. And a Person should have a Care for the Victim. In Mooooost cases, this is Lacking.
There are Many words that are Akin to War: Fighting, Violence, Vehemence, etc. A Person who resorts to these is also considered ‘Not for Peace.’ Let us take a few cases.
I have seen many instances where Mothers had tied their infants by clothes, to keep them out of harm’s way, yet allowing them movement. It is like the ‘Crib.’ Is this not Violence? (And I am not talking of Badly manufactured cribs). Just hold somebody by her Wrists and MAKE her sit by your side. Is that Violence? What is the difference between the two?
Putting a person in Irons or in Jail is Violence. Concluding with Just these instances, – except for the ‘Wrist case!’ – We see that these are Accepted as OK, Necessary, and even Good, by Society.
There are enough cases of the Weak and the Poor getting Oppressed, Taken Advantage of, being Subjected to Violence. In India, Bus Conductors would oftentimes Load Up their buses, taking Passengers on willingly (More Passengers means More Bonus), yet Shouting at them while they are getting down. “Get down, Get down, Get down,” they say, and “Hurry, Hurry, Hurry.” So Undignified. And Violent. After all, Just Who wants to Remain in the blessed thing? And if some Poor Soul wants to get down at some particular spot, the answer from the conductor is: “The bus does not stop here.” The Creature has taken a mind of its own, and just refuses to stop. What is he to do, the poor fellow?
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE SPOKEN OUT FOR THE VICTIM?
Have We ever said: “Let this Old Woman (Or the Woman with Small Children) get down. Why should they walk back so far in the Sun? How much Time would We lose, after all?” etc. No. We have paid for the Journey. And We should not get late. And when the driver stops to pick up members of his family, Nobody objects. No complaints when the bus is pulled over for 15 or 20 minutes for tea and things. And No complaints at all when held up by traffic or ‘Bandhs’ (Political Protests), for Hours on end.
We Want Peace. And that is What I am talking about. If We have Love in Our Hearts, We Would Speak out.
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Serious Thought has to be given to the Question if Gandhi’s ‘Ahimsa,’ Non Violence, would have worked if it had been hitler and not the british who had occupied India!
The ISIS is one such creature. So it putin. Think of Ukraine. There is a saying in Hindi: ‘Laaton ke Bhoot Baaton se Nahin Maante,’ which means, roughly, ‘There are some who will Only be Controlled by Kicks; they will not Listen to Reason.’ Mad Dogs Have to be Put down.
So We Will Fight, Will Have to Fight, If We Love Our Fellow Human Beings.
You can read here how a Soldier fought to save a Girl from getting Raped.
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The Buddha would be Horrified. Buddhist (so called) monks in lanka had already been at the forefront of Violence against Tamils. Now their next target, it would seem, are Muslims. Whether the lankan locals want to achieve their ends ‘using’ these monks can be debated. But even if the locals give the call, ‘Real’ Monks could have refused, and changed the ‘course’.
Here is a recent Carnage, Instigated, Encouraged and Led by them, AND a Cool monk in the midst of all that.
Image from Facebook.
The dalai lama, instead of Whispering Sweet Nothings, should make out Strong statements against such happenings.
As Should the pope in situations where catholics have been/are at fault. As should any religious leader with regard to his following.
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A Large section of the Martial Arts, from Jiu-jitsu to Karate, and all their sisters and brothers, were developed by our (Old) Buddhist Monks, mainly to protect themselves, for Self Defence. Whereas, at least for the last 30 years or so, it can and will be seen that these (modern) so-called monks seem to have given up all ideas of ‘Shanti!’ For them it seems to be: ‘long live violence.’ But We cannot and Should not blame only the Buddhists for Violence like this.
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In Pune, NW India, severe Violence took place, in the form of:
“A 28-year-old software professional was bludgeoned to death allegedly by seven persons with suspected links to a Hindu outfit…”
Graphic from Article, Reference below.
“The trigger for the attack was apparently uploading of derogatory pictures of warrior king Shivaji and late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Facebook…”
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On this I have responded and tweeted thus:
1. India has given the world Vedanta. And Vedanta became accepted only after Long and Serious debate. And it was All done without Violence!
2. I would request our Hindu Brothers to give back to India Its Dignity. Is Violence at every corner the answer?
3. Are Non-Hindus to change their Opinions by Violence and Compulsion? Should it not be by Conviction?
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More in:
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Please also: The Perfect Protest.
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lovehappinessandpeace 