“When nature threatens an avalanche, man uses dynamite to preempt it … When water threatens to flood, man uses force to divert it … When a Tai Chi master is confronted, and cannot use the energy of his opponent to deflect him, he uses violence to defeat his enemy … Is this not the same wisdom that can be applied to some foreign policy situations where aggression can be a responsible alternative?”

I offer the following response:

Unlike war, there are no sentient victims when dynamite is used on snow … Unlike war, the only real consequence of attempting to alter a flood is getting very wet … Unlike war, the Tai Chi master refuses to uses to use violent means for peaceful ends — as soon as he does otherwise, he is no longer a Tai Chi master.

It is true that we are a relatively young species, and yet the adolescence of humanity is no longer an excuse for our primitive behaviors & savage choices … We have used military aggression to “fight for Peace” for over 10,000 years — and it has failed us every time. We are old enough now to know better.

It’s time we stopped making excuses for going to war, and started having the courage to stand for Peace instead.

Who will stand with me?