Violence

Israel is currently invading and bombing Lebanon. Civil war is raging in Iraq and Afghanistan (more quietly there). All over the ailing planet, violence persists. Despite great technological advances in communications and medicine, people are still resorting to primitive means to stake out territory, maintain control, sustain life. Why? The wealthy and privileged all over the planet shrug and say, "It has always been and will always be so." In reality, the wealthy and privileged promote violence to secure their own power and control. They buy and sell weapons. They play sides. They wager in stock markets on the outcomes of violence. This is the greater world-wide evil. In my practice, I avoid violence as best I can. Internal violence and external violence. However, my practice does not preclude self defense or the defense of the defenseless.