Pacifism

[Paul Mackin]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terrance" <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>

> There are always fanatics in any movement, but the vast majority of the
> people working for peace are not fanatics, they are smart, reasonable,
> pragmatic, resolute, hard working folk just like us.

So long as there is an element of effective pragmatism who can object? Also
I know all pacifists are not fanatics though I feel just as certain that a
person may adopt pacifism or other rather absolutist ideologies in a kind of
desperation to have something pure to believe in in a world of such
impurity, such confusion and and complexity--something they can devote
themselves to completely and unquestioningly  And this state could well be a
fanaticism.  And of course as I indicated I would not be talking here about
people like Gandhi and King who in addition to religious motivation were
driven by an exceedingly strong practicality. Being driven by practicality
is likely to be the best insurance against being driven by other factors of
a less healthy nature. Naturally one might think here of the filling of
personal psychological needs. Unquestioned belief in something outside the
self because one is too demoralized to believe is the self. Very easy to get
in that state. Finally I would add that my  lumping  of a certain breed of
pacifist espousal into the same category as other true believers such as (at
the extreme end) Nazis and suicide bombers was harsh though I never meant to
imply Nazis and Pacifists were equally guilty of anything or necessarily
guilty at all. (that would be another story)

Nothing in the above is meant to imply I think any p-lister could fit what
I'm talking about. But there are such people.

Make love not war.

        P.