Basically, I wanted to ask about violence.
I'm not sure how to phrase the question succinctly for all of you, so I'll phrase it a few ways.
For parents, I would ask, Would you say you have advised a pacifist stance in conflict, and if not how have you tried to explain the justified use of force to your children?
If you have young kids, How do you think you will address issues of use of force with your children?
What is force, coercion, subjugation, violence?
I am fine with calling myself a "Pacifist", but I mean something both very concrete and ambiguous. Shorthand for that is that I am far more likely to argue for use of force to protect another's interest rather than my own. This is why I would make a bad cop, I would be 'gun shy', always hoping for a way out, unless there was clear risk to an innocent, and it is questionable ethics to endanger fellow human beings lives based on my faith and ideology. On the other hand, I think my faith and ideology would make for me to be an excellent cop; If I shot someone I hopefully wouldn't have to think about it as much as someone that hadn't examined as carefully what the job was really about. For me it would likely be good kills, or my own bad death, or the death of another I was sworn to protect.
If that makes sense, then I would ask for you input on this question,
What is violence, to you, and how do you legitimize its use?
Some schools of thought view an essential characteristic of government to be its position as the legitimate user of force, which puts certain interpretations of the 2nd amendment into serious question. It also portrays the appeal of 'Black Banner Islam' in complex ways if you are inclined to think a certain way about them. I don't want to project too much onto you as a reader, so I wish to simply stand by my invitation to hear from all of you. There are of course distinctions to be made, between deadly force and other forms of violence. I would especially be interested to hear a well thought out argument regarding how violent economic activity is, but I'll leave for you to argue if you like.
Your view on violence, and how you rationalize your use of it.
I am privileged in that I rarely have to think about violence. I live in an area that is safe, and secure. I don't have any violent inclinations because I was raised in a peaceful environment by nonviolent people. I hope that my children are someday able to say the same.
I don't tend to believe people who say they "don't have ANY violent inclinations." To me that would mean they are either more in control of their emotions than anyone I have ever met, or they have a different definition of violence. What is violence to you, especially, if you think you live a life where it is absent? I would also be curious where you live that you think it is safe and secure from threats of violent action.
I should elaborate. I am more in control of my violent inclinations than most. I live in a relatively safe area. There area always anomalies but based on the data, this area is safe. I live in North Carolina. If provoked, I suppose I would defend myself but I have never actively sought out violence.