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Old 10-28-2013, 05:43 PM   #44
Demetrio Cereijo
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,248
Spain
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Re: My forum pet peeve: "I never got in a fight - the ultimate self-defense!"

Quote:
Kevin Leavitt wrote: View Post
I'm a pacifist! lol! well I like to think of myself as one! I will always choose, and work hard to choose a non-violent way to resolve things. The key word is "my choice".
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Well, you're probably a pacifist in the sense budoka like Yukiyoshi Takamura understood the term.
A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non-violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of impending destruction of the enemy he chooses non-violence. He chooses peace. He must be able to make a choice. He must have the genuine ability to destroy his enemy and then choose not to. I have heard this excuse made. "I choose to be a pacifist before learning techniques so I do not need to learn the power of destruction." This shows no comprehension of the mind of the true warrior. This is just a rationalization to cover the fear of injury or hard training. The true warrior who chooses to be a pacifist is willing to stand and die for his principles. People claiming to be pacifists who rationalize to avoid hard training or injury will flee instead of standing and dying for principle. They are just cowards. Only a warrior who has tempered his spirit in conflict and who has confronted himself and his greatest fears can in my opinion make the choice to be a true pacifist.
Regarding Gandhi, I'd suggest to read The Doctrine Of The Sword
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