The Tao of Pacifism

I do not wish to overly upon the philosophical concepts of Taoism to metaphorize the watercourse way of flowing social and empirical events. It is merely convenient to borrow the metaphor of a continuum of change; of force flowing, in order to describe the interactive phenomena of pacifist actions in a phenomenal world of force.

Social and worldly change is about force and of course violence is regarded by some as the use of force. Flowing water has force only in relation to other objects-for-themselves, and also when the water is confined to a finite area from which it seeks to release or be renormalized to a state of non-force equilibrium.

The universe is a phenomenality of force fields and elements in deteriorating states of equilibrium. The tremendous mystery is how the initial state of the Universe began in perfect order without entropy only to expand and decay toward a new equilibrium at the lowest, coldest energy state at some future time not yet achieved. Us Christians believe that God spoke the Word and the Universe began ‘let there be light’, and there was light’. Well, that is a more parochial topic for the time being.

If one philosophically is in opposition to violence on moral grounds, perhaps reasoning that violence is stupid because there are many smarter things to do in life, should one then choose to act upon others and force one’s belief in the use of non-force upon the unwilling, predatory and ignorant hordes?

Perhaps acting within the world-for-others or within the dialectical social materialism of the era one might divert violent actions and policies toward non-violent, more productive applications of force. Human dynamics are within a violent continuum in-themselves and simply direct action to stop violence tends to produce violent such as in particle accelerator collisions at CERN.

Obviously redirecting violence to non-violent directions within a real social environment with semi-autonomous, moderately intelligent persons being the context of violent action, secular hypocrisy, deceit and so forth might require that one be as wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove. Well, that worked for Jesus Christ until the arrest, trial and suffering unto death of The Lord.

Even if only God could divide the waters allowing the Jews to flee Pharaoh’s secular violent cavalry and power of slave-owning, pacifists today might moderate the social flow indirectly putting intention to transition states of affairs into non-violent contexts. It wouldn’t be easy I would think.