Category Archives: Nonviolence

Pauling & Ikeda’s False Dilemma of Absolute Pacifism

The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of PeaceThe second excerpt in The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace.from Linus Pauling & Daisaku Ikeda‘s 1992 book A Lifelong Quest for Peace forms the books twenty-first chapter. This dialogue continues the Post-Vietnam to the Present (1975-  ) section of the book.  In previous essay titled Immorality of War: Pauling & Ikeda, I discuss their credentials including Pauling’s Nobel Prizes both in Chemistry and Peace, along with Ikeda’s 1983  United Nations Peace Award.

This 3 1/2 page conversation does not make a cogent argument against absolute pacifism.  Both speakers make the obligatory reference to Hitler; discuss the difficulties of being a pacifist in a non-pacifist world; and determine that unsurprisingly that Einstein was not an absolute pacifist.  Paradoxically in an essay that argues against pacifism, they conclude with a discussion of how Japan has advanced quicker in economic and individual health due its not diverting national resources into a military economy.

The Hitler argument is that pacifism would be useless against the Nazis.  It is usually raised by those who are fearful of the concept of pacifism. I would not expect this argument from these authors or to be promoted by the editors of this collection.  Continue reading Pauling & Ikeda’s False Dilemma of Absolute Pacifism

Immorality of War: Pauling & Ikeda

The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of PeaceThe excerpt from Linus Pauling & Daisaku Ikeda‘s 1992 book A Lifelong Quest for Peace is the twentieth chapter of The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace. This dialogue continues the Post-Vietnam to the Present (1975-  ) section of the book.  Linus Pauling — who died 2 years after co-authoring his book — was a  chemist, biochemist, pacifist, author, and teacher. Ikeda is the founder and current president of Sōka Gakkai International (SGI), an international lay Buddhist association which focuses on peace, cultural and educational activities.  He is the recipient of  the 1983  United Nations Peace Award and has written over 80 books.

In his amazing career, Pauling won the  1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. When he was awarded the Peace Prize the Nobel peace Prize committee issued the following statement:  Continue reading Immorality of War: Pauling & Ikeda

Schell: Complete Disarmament is the Only Sane Path

The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of PeaceThe excerpt from Jonathan Schell‘s  1982 book The Fate of the Earth is the nineteenth chapter of The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace .  This dialogue continues the Post-Vietnam to the Present (1975-  ) section of the book.  The essay centers on Schell’s lifelong quest to abolish nuclear weapons.  The Fate of the Earth is based on a series of essays that Schell wrote for The New Yorker in the early 1980s.  It won the Los Angeles Times Book prize.

Sadly, despite the fall of the Soviet Union, Schell’s arguments for the only path to a safe world still hold.  He sees nuclear weapons as the greatest “predicament” that mankind has faced. With the benefit of current knowledge, I would argue that global climate change has overtaken nuclear weapons as humankind’s worst self-imposed threat.  Yet even at number two, the abolition of nuclear weapons must be accomplished for our survival.  I would also argue that the two are intertwined under former US President Eisenhower’s “military-industrial complex.”  Continue reading Schell: Complete Disarmament is the Only Sane Path

New eBook by The Wilders… Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened?

Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened? ebook coverThe Occupy movement is over two years old! Kimberly and Ian Wilder of Peace Couple are excited about their new eBook: Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened? In the eBook, Occupy is explored through original reporting, photographs, cartoons, poetry, essays, and reviews.  OWS:WJH? includes an essay analyzing the “One Demand” concept, and its relationship to peace as a platform item. The collection of essays and blog posts records the unfolding of Occupy into the culture from September 2011 to the present.  Authors Kimberly Wilder and Ian Wilder were early supporters of Occupy, celebrating the occupation with their websites, YouTube videos, Flickr photos, and more. The Wilders are proud to reflect on and celebrate the changes created by the American Autumn.

The eBook is currently available on Amazon for KindleBarnes & Noble Nook;  iTunes iBookstore; and Smashwords independent EBook seller for only 99¢, and anyone can read it using their Kindle/Nook Reader, smart phone, or computer. and now  More platforms to come.
Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened? eBookOccupy Wall Street: What Just Happened? on iTunes iBooks

Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened? eBook on Amazon
Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened? eBook

A list of free eBook readers for computers and mobile devices is at the bottom of this post.

The Introduction to the eBook begins as follows:

Is Occupy Wall Street dead?

The short answer is “No.” Occupy is very much alive. Continue reading New eBook by The Wilders… Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened?

Peace Updates: Where is the index? And, what are the peace couple up to?

Kimberly and Ian Wilder are currently working on their second eBook. It should be out within the next couple of weeks. This new book is high on activism, with lots of great photos.

As for the PAXi/Peace Index…

Kimberly has been lax in publishing the daily PAXi/Peace Index numbers. Though, most days, the raw data has been gathered.

We thought it would be interesting to see a year-to-year comparison with recent numbers.

Last year’s PAXi numbers:

Sunday, October 7, 2012: 179
Monday, October 8, 2012: 179 (Columbus Day)
Tuesday, October 9, 2012: 198

These figures from last year happened as the all-time high for PAXi had stood at 337.

This year’s PAXi numbers: Continue reading Peace Updates: Where is the index? And, what are the peace couple up to?

Review: “Share or Die!”, Millennials’ Response to Scarcity

The world view envisioned in the anthology of essays, Share or Die!, Voices of the Get Lost Generation in the Age of Crisis, is one in which human interaction is re-shaped by Generation Y (the Millennials).  This new kind of interaction is to be based upon sharing, using a mixture of high-tech and high-touch.  Serendipitously, about the same time as our review copy of the book appeared in the mail, an example of what the book was hoping to achieve also arrived in the mail.

Read the rest of the review at onthewilderside.com  Continue reading Review: “Share or Die!”, Millennials’ Response to Scarcity

Remembering All on Memorial Day

Peace Couple’s perspective on Memorial Day

Today we mourn all the women, men, and children from all countries, who have died as victims of war, both as soldiers and as civilians.  All human life is sacred. We re-dedicate ourselves to working for a day when a Memorial Day is no longer needed.

The PAXi Daily Peace Index for Sunday, May 26, 2013 was 540.

The PAXi Daily Peace Index for Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2013 was 534.