The first discipline of non-violence is to honor every human
being as a unique soul-body, refusing to identify them by
race, gender, religion, or political party.
Yet just as much as right-wing movements, today's "progressive"
movement often promotes conflict and division by labeling
individual Persons by their group identity. Some of us who
talk about "diversity" actually stifle it, because real diversity
is not to promote tribalism or nationalism, but to recognize
the incomparable unique Personhood of individuals.
As it also says in the Declaration of Independence.
It is much easier to hate a category than a Person, whether
your animosity is toward Muslims or Christians, "black people",
or "white people", liberals or conservatives.
The beginning of world peace is to free each human soul-body
from racial, political, or religious abstractions. Our incidental
association with a group is not who we really are.
I do not identify my Self Eternal Being as a color, as rich
or poor, capitalist or socialist, Republican or Democrat,
Christian or Pagan or American. I am neither "good" nor
"evil." Those are just conceptual chains with which your mind
attempts to enthrall me. But I am not your concept of me:
you are.
If you want to superimpose a group identity on me, that is your
act of violence against the singularity of my Personhood. You
are free to label me, but I am also free... I refuse to identify with
your label...
I Am who I Am...
~ Fred LaMotte
art by Picasso
with thanks to mystic meanderings
We adopt the means of nonviolence because
our end is a community at peace with itself.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.
