CHAPTER 9: Extensions of Pacifism

MANY PEOPLE KNOW the simple spiritual law that evil can only beovercome by good. Pacifists not only know it, they also attempt tolive it. In their attempt to live it they refuse to use or sanction the useof physical violence. Those who oppose war but would use physicalviolence in their personal lives I would call war resisters but not pacifists.
Those who use the non-violent method only because theybelieve it to be the most effective method I would call nonviolentresisters but not pacifists. Pacifists use the nonviolent way becausethey believe it to be the right way, and under no circumstances wouldthey use or sanction the use of any other way.
The animal nature thinks in terms of using ‘the jungle law oftooth and claw’ to eliminate all opposition¹. But this law solves noproblems for humans; it can only postpone² solutions, and in the longrun it worsens things.
Some nations, even while they are using the jungle law in theirdealings with other nations—while they are at war—recognize thatpacifists cannot act that way and exempt³ them from military service.
Instead they usually either serve in non-military ways or spend timein prison.They are often called conscientious⁴ objectors.There are, ofcourse, very few conscientious objectors, because very few haveattained sufficient inner awakening⁵ at such an early age.
When I talk about extensions of pacifism, I realize that I am speakingjust to fellow pacifists, a very small group in any modern society.
With this small group, a group that I admire and respect very much, Iwould like to discuss three extensions of pacifism that I have made.
I have extended my pacifism to include non-use of psychologicalviolence as well as non-use of physical violence. Therefore I nolonger become angry. I not only do not say angry words, I do noteven think angry thoughts! If someone does an unkind thing to me, Ifeel only compassion⁶ instead of resentment⁷. Even upon those whocause suffering I look with deep compassion, knowing the harvest ofsorrow that lies in store for them. If there were those who hated me,I would love them in return, knowing that hatred⁸ can only be overcomeby love, and knowing that there is good in all human beingswhich can be reached by a loving approach.Those who use the nonviolentmethod without love may have difficulty. If you force peopleto do things your way without helping⁹ to transform them, the problemis not really solved. If you can remember that we are not really separatefrom one another it may increase your wish to transform insteadof subdue¹⁰. And to extend your pacifism to include non-use of psychologicalviolence as well as non-use of physical violence.
I wouldn’t recommend civil disobedience except as a last resort.
In general, people can accomplish much more out of jail than theycan behind bars. Nor would I encourage any threatening action thatadvocates psychological violence as a solution to problem solving.
What is done to a single person affects us all.
I have extended pacifism to include non-payment for war as wellas non-participation in war. Therefore I no longer knowingly payfederal taxes. For more than forty-three years I have lived belowincome tax level. I admit, of course, that there is a second reason forthis: I cannot accept more than I need while others in the world haveless than they need. Naturally I have never paid taxes on liquor ortobacco because I have never used these items, but I also don’t payluxury tax because I don’t use luxury items and I don’t pay amusementtax because I don’t patronize amusements.
Now, the federal government may be supporting some things weapprove of, but unfortunately it is not presently possible to pay forthem and not for war. A pacifist would answer no were the federalgovernment to say, “If you will spend half of your time on war activitiesyou may spend the other half of your time on good works.” Yetthere are pacifists who answer yes when it is a question of moneyinstead of time. I realize that human beings tend to be inconsistent inone way or another, but since I feel I must be as consistent as I knowhow to be I have extended my pacifism to include non-payment forwar as well as non-participation in war.
I have extended my pacifism to include non-harming of creaturesas well as non-harming of human beings.Therefore for many years Ihave not eaten flesh—not meat, fowl¹¹, or fish. I also don’t use furs orfeathers, leather or bone. I realize that some people are vegetariansmerely for health reasons, and are not necessarily opposed to war.
Some people may miss the eating of flesh, but I do not. I don’t craveanimal flesh any more than the average person craves¹² human flesh. Ithink most pacifists—in fact, most modern human beings—wouldnot eat flesh if they had to kill the creatures themselves. I think if youwere to visit a slaughterhouse it might encourage you to extend yourpacifism to include non-harming of creatures as well as non-harmingof human beings.
There is an awakening taking place today which may very welldevelop into a new renaissance¹³. Perhaps the wish to survive is pushingus this way . . . perhaps it is the realization¹⁴ that something mustbe done about our present plight¹⁵ that motivates us. Groups that havetraditionally used violence are talking about nonviolent resistance.
People who have participated enthusiastically in war activities arebecoming war resisters. An ever increasing number of people arebecoming pacifists. I am, therefore, expecting the pacifists to moveforward also and make some extensions of their pacifism.
The following quotations¹⁶ were among the few notes that Peace Pilgrimcarried in the pockets of her tunic¹⁷:
General Omar Bradley: “Wars can be prevented just as surely asthey can be provoked, and we who fail to prevent them must sharein the guilt¹⁸ for the dead.”
General Douglas MacArthur: “I have known war as few men nowliving know it. Its very destructiveness on both friend and foe¹⁹ hasrendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes.”
Pope John XXIII: “If civil authorities legislate²⁰ for or allow anythingthat is contrary to the will of God, neither the laws made nor theauthorizations granted can be binding²¹ on the consciences of the citizens,since God has more right to be obeyed than men.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower: “Every gun that is made, every warshiplaunched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft fromthose who are hungry and are not fed, those who are cold and notclothed.” Speaking “as one who has witnessed the horror and lingeringsadness of war—as one who knows that another war couldutterly destroy this civilization,” he warned against the militaryindustrialcomplex.
John F. Kennedy: “Mankind must put an end to war, or war willput an end to mankind ...War will exist until that distant day whenthe conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestigethat the warrior²² does today.”
Lyndon B. Johnson: “The guns and the bombs, the rockets and thewarships, all are symbols of human failure.”
Pope John Paul II: “In the face of the man-made calamity²³ that everywar is, one must affirm and reaffirm, again and again, that the wagingof war is not inevitable²⁴ or unchangeable. Humanity is not destined²⁵ toself-destruction. Clashes of ideologies²⁶, aspirations²⁷ and needs can andmust be settled and resolved by means other than war and violence.”
Herman Goering, at the Nuremburg Trials: “Why, of coursepeople don’t want war.Why should some poor slob on a farm wantto risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to comeback to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don’twant war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter inGermany.That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of a countrywho determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to dragthe people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist²⁸ dictatorship,or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.Voice or no voice, thepeople can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That iseasy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, anddenounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism²⁹ and exposing the countryto danger. It works the same in any country.”
I have never met anyone who built a bomb shelter and felt protectedby it. I have never met a modern military man who did notrealize that military victory is a concept which became obsolete³⁰ withthe coming of the nuclear age, and most civilians³¹ realize this also.
Wisdom demands that we stop preparing to wage a war which wouldeliminate mankind—and start preparing to eliminate the seeds of war.
Extensions of Pacifism

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

3 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

4 conscientious   

adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的

参考例句：

• He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责，也很懂行。
• He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。

5 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

6 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

7 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

8 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 subdue   

vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制

参考例句：

• She tried to subdue her anger.她尽力压制自己的怒火。
• He forced himself to subdue and overcome his fears.他强迫自己克制并战胜恐惧心理。

11 fowl   

n.家禽，鸡，禽肉

参考例句：

• Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
• Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

12 craves   

渴望，热望( crave的第三人称单数 )； 恳求，请求

参考例句：

• The tree craves calm but the wind will not drop. 树欲静而风不止。
• Victory would give him a passport to the riches he craves. 胜利将使他有机会获得自己梦寐以求的财富。

13 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

14 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

15 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

16 quotations   

n.引用( quotation的名词复数 )；[商业]行情（报告）；（货物或股票的）市价；时价

参考例句：

• The insurance company requires three quotations for repairs to the car. 保险公司要修理这辆汽车的三家修理厂的报价单。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These quotations cannot readily be traced to their sources. 这些引语很难查出出自何处。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 tunic   

n.束腰外衣

参考例句：

• The light loose mantle was thrown over his tunic.一件轻质宽大的斗蓬披在上衣外面。
• Your tunic and hose match ill with that jewel,young man.你的外套和裤子跟你那首饰可不相称呢，年轻人。

18 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

19 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

20 legislate   

vt.制定法律；n.法规，律例；立法

参考例句：

• Therefore,it is very urgent to legislate for the right of privacy.因此，为隐私权立法刻不容缓。
• It's impossible to legislate for every contingency.为每一偶发事件都立法是不可能的。

21 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

22 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

23 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

24 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

25 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

26 ideologies   

n.思想（体系）( ideology的名词复数 )；思想意识；意识形态；观念形态

参考例句：

• There is no fundamental diversity between the two ideologies. 这两种思想意识之间并没有根本的分歧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Radical ideologies require to contrast to their own goodness the wickedness of some other system. 凡是过激的意识形态，都需要有另外一个丑恶的制度作对比，才能衬托出自己的善良。 来自辞典例句

27 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

28 fascist   

adj.法西斯主义的；法西斯党的；n.法西斯主义者，法西斯分子

参考例句：

• The strikers were roughed up by the fascist cops.罢工工人遭到法西斯警察的殴打。
• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。

29 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

30 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

31 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。