Comments on: self-protection, within reason http://radicalloveproject.com/2009/05/self-protection-within-reason/ To carry love into every moment, in the way of Jesus. Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:52:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Angela http://radicalloveproject.com/2009/05/self-protection-within-reason/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Angela Sat, 30 May 2009 18:09:40 +0000 http://radicalloveproject.com/?p=107#comment-46 I don't know either. Mostly, I feel like I'm a pacifist, but it gets confusing. It seems like there's something to the idea it's about preventing harm. If someone is going to do something awful, we help them and the "victim" by preventing it, if we can. But maybe we lose the benefit if we hurt ourselves in the process, say, by hardening our heart so that we can bring ourselves to use deadly force. Yeah, I think that's it for me. Whatever I do, I want it to be with an open heart. That would mean that I *could* own, and potentially use, a gun. But... I don't wanna. :) I don’t know either. Mostly, I feel like I’m a pacifist, but it gets confusing.

It seems like there’s something to the idea it’s about preventing harm. If someone is going to do something awful, we help them and the “victim” by preventing it, if we can. But maybe we lose the benefit if we hurt ourselves in the process, say, by hardening our heart so that we can bring ourselves to use deadly force.

Yeah, I think that’s it for me. Whatever I do, I want it to be with an open heart.

That would mean that I *could* own, and potentially use, a gun. But… I don’t wanna. :)

]]> By: Jonathan Stegall http://radicalloveproject.com/2009/05/self-protection-within-reason/comment-page-1/#comment-43 Jonathan Stegall Sat, 30 May 2009 16:59:59 +0000 http://radicalloveproject.com/?p=107#comment-43 Angela, I don't own a gun, and I don't think I would never ask or want someone to kill to defend me. I seek ways to live a nonviolent life, though admittedly the gaping hole in that is that I don't run into a whole lot of cases where I would need to use or ask for violence, so in all candor I end up spending more time being upset about the violence that others use (war, slavery, torture, etc.) - which is certainly valid, I think, but it does keep it less costly for me. That being said, I do lock my doors and do carry a cell phone. In addition to this, even since I became what I consider to be a pacifist, I have recommended to several peope I know who live in various parts of the city here (Atlanta) that they carry pepper spray. I want them to be able to keep themselves from being pursesnatched or abducted, and in wanting that I do have to wrestle with the implications of the pepper spray. Am I asking them to be willing to use violence, even though it is not particularly dangerous or harmful, in any long-term sense, to an attacker? What effect does that have on the user of the pepper spray? So I don't know, I suppose. Angela, I don’t own a gun, and I don’t think I would never ask or want someone to kill to defend me. I seek ways to live a nonviolent life, though admittedly the gaping hole in that is that I don’t run into a whole lot of cases where I would need to use or ask for violence, so in all candor I end up spending more time being upset about the violence that others use (war, slavery, torture, etc.) – which is certainly valid, I think, but it does keep it less costly for me.

That being said, I do lock my doors and do carry a cell phone. In addition to this, even since I became what I consider to be a pacifist, I have recommended to several peope I know who live in various parts of the city here (Atlanta) that they carry pepper spray. I want them to be able to keep themselves from being pursesnatched or abducted, and in wanting that I do have to wrestle with the implications of the pepper spray.

Am I asking them to be willing to use violence, even though it is not particularly dangerous or harmful, in any long-term sense, to an attacker? What effect does that have on the user of the pepper spray?

So I don’t know, I suppose.

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