[FRIAM] Pacifism: was Enlightened Self Interest: was Help for texas

[Steven A Smith]

Marcus -

I can only answer this for myself.  To the extent I am pacifistic, and 
identify with pacifism as a principle, I will state my own 
position/experience:

While I do value consequences, I value intentions yet more, there has 
been a lot of ambiguity and ambivalence in my life because of this duality.

*Personal Choice*: For me, pacifism is a personal choice and it is about 
who I choose to be/come.   I can offer advice and opinions to others 
about their own personal choices, about where their line between 
violence/non might be and what to do with it, but I don't presume to 
know what their context and choices are better than they do... to do so 
would be it's own form of violence.

*Vegetarianism*: At 14 I chose not to eat any meat from any animal I did 
not kill or butcher myself.   This made me a vegetarian as a matter of 
practice.   I held that line for nearly 20 years.   I am no longer a 
strict vegetarian, but am very sympathetic with the ideals of those who 
choose it on moral grounds, and even moreso those who choose vegan 
lifestyles.  I may return there.  I considered this my first 
significantly pacifistic decision in life.

*War*: I chose (but was relieved of acting on it) to refuse military 
service to my country and was prepared to leave it and never return to 
it as I came of 'conscription age'.   This was neither because I was a 
coward (though the reality of war WAS deeply threatening) nor because I 
believed the Vietnam War to be patently *wrong* (though there were 
plenty of indicators and I think time proved them correct for the most 
part).  I simply did not want to become a killer, especially one who 
killed on the orders of others, or put himself in a situation of 
kill-or-be-killed for arbitrary reasons.

*War Profiteeting*: I also *chose* to work at a nuclear weapons 
laboratory (eventually) in support of MAD and came close to working for 
the more conventional Military-Industrials, because I believed that 
"somebody has to have the big stick, it might as well be 'us' ".   I 
also liked the pay, the benefits and the presumed prestige.  But I never 
adopted a hawkish stance and took no more than passing *technical* pride 
in the products of my efforts, many of which were far from exclusively 
or even mainly military in application.   The fall of The Wall/Soviet 
Union helped me understand that MAD may always have been truly 
unnecessary (ill conceived?) madness, and a few choice words of Wisdom 
by the Dali Lama soon after, about the nature of violence/non  helped me 
understand all of that a little more. Some time supporting the National 
Intelligence effort helped me appreciate how slippery the slopes were 
and how much *I* didn't want to tread anywhere near that line of no 
return. Fortunately I ducked the "Edward Snowden" bullet, I saw plenty I 
didn't like, but nothing beyond the pale.

*Spare the Rod*: I chose to raise my children without giving over to the 
"spare the rod, spoil the child" mentality handed down by my parent's 
generation and held by more than a few peers.  I never struck nor 
threatened to strike my children, nor used abusive language toward 
them.   I recognized that the violences I DID perpetrate (witholding of 
approval, of resources, timeout/grounding) were acknowledgements of my 
own failure to guide/support them well enough and/or a failure in my own 
patience.  As far as I know, this worked out very well with them.   They 
might tell their intimates (or therapists) otherwise.

*Intervention*: I still have strong opinions about others' behaviour and 
the consequences of that behaviour and have been known to actively 
intervene when I felt inaction would allow significant harm to occur.   
These actions are never easy to come to, to execute, nor to be smug 
about afterwards.   The few times I have taken significant interventive 
action (physically, verbally, legally, economically) were pivotal to my 
evolving character and I doubt I will ever feel with certainty that "I 
did the right thing".    There is nothing I feel acute regret about, but 
my judgement remains open on them.  I think that ambiguity/ambivalence 
is key to my continued pacifism.

*Capital Punishment*: Your point about capital punishment is well taken 
and I align with it for the most part.   I'm not willing to be a party 
to state-sponsored vengeance.   I accept that individuals DO take 
vengeance and accept that as part of "the human condition" and can 
imagine my own participation.  I accept that sometimes organizations 
(e.g. states) choose practical over ideological decisions (capital 
punishment as a way to avoid the expense and inconvenience of lifetime 
incarceration) but seek other alternatives.

*War Again:* Similarly, I don't like nor endorse the violence of war but 
accept that sometimes it is a point that groups arrive at, but I will 
not be party to the "vengeance" part of it.  Vilifying the enemy only 
makes war "easier", it doesn't make it "better".  True "self defense" is 
a practical admission of failure of all other means, and nothing to be 
proud of, merely to be exercised as effectively, thoughtfully and 
compassionately as possible.   Sadly I find very little of this in those 
who promote the death penalty nor war.  I hope there are truly 
"compassionate warriors" and suspect that some of my friends who have 
"been there" may have a significant component of that in them, it is not 
something easy for them to talk about and I respect that.

Peace Out Man...

  - Steve

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