Pursuing nonviolence

Yeah - I know, I know - why the heck am I writing so much today??? Didn't I get enough writing during the last six weeks? Apparently not. Actually, all the writing of the last six weeks really interfered with my blogging so I'm making up for lost time. At any rate, here's what this post is about: My interest in nonviolence.

Over the last year, I've found myself more and more drawn to nonviolence as a way of life - a philosophy if you will. I've recently (within the last two weeks) discovered that there are two main schools of thought around nonviolence: Nonviolence as a tool to change public policy or as a strategy in a conflict AND nonviolence as a way of life - a lifestyle choice. There is a very distinct divide between the two and I won't go into further detail. Suffice to say, I'm interested in the philosophical aspect.

That said - here are some questions that have come into my mind over the last couple of months:

1. Why am I so passionate about nonviolence/peacemaking?
   
2. What incidents in my life shaped (or are shaping) this passion?
3. Does the absence of meaning and conviction in my earlier life serve to strengthen my more recent passion?
4. Does the experience of physical violence carry more weight than experiences with nonphysical violence or the results of indirect violence?
   
5. What is the connection between personally experiencing violence and choosing to embrace a nonviolent path?
   
6. What happens to children who grow up in households that are not overtly violent but that have been deeply wounded by violence (i.e. the children of war veterens and such)?
   

At this point, I have no answers worth noting. If you have any comments, I'd love to hear them.