a community at peace with itself

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.

from Martin Luther King Jr.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
 only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate;
 only love can do that. 

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world
 that we must love our enemies - or else? 
The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate,
 wars producing more wars - must be broken,
 or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. 

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love
 will have the final word in reality. This is why right,
 temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. 

I have decided to stick with love.
 Hate is too great a burden to bear. 

Love is the only force capable of transforming
 an enemy into friend. 

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive.
 He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid 
of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us
 and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this,
 we are less prone to hate our enemies. 

~ Martin Luther King Jr.