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Hi Elspeth!
I have mulled over my response to your question for several days, and I'm not sure that I am any closer to a good response than when I first started. I'll try to explain my feelings.
I am a pacifist. It's not a religious thing, more a personal thing. I am 41 and have never been in a fight. Yes, I was victimized by bullies in school. I was overweight, wore glasses, had poor grades and (coming from a poor family) wore clothes that made me look like a nerd. Couldn't help it. That's all my mom could afford. My dad died when I was a freshman in high school, so my mom did the best she could on what she made.
Don't get me wrong. I am not opposed to anyone defending his - or her - self. It's just not my thing. I have always walked away from fights. Doesn't stop the bullying, of course, but doesn't make it worse either.
To me, our ability to NOT resort to violence is one of the main things that sets us apart from animals. To talk things out, to reason, and - when all else fails - to walk away. Turning the other cheek often resorts in getting the other cheek smacked too. But, in my opinion (and its only my opinion), resorting to violence makes one no better than the person who initiated the fight in the first place. I refuse to stoop to the level of brute, animal violence. If it gets me beat up, so be it. I just use the best and most powerful weapon I have in my arsenal - prayer.
Hope that made sense.
Just my 2 cents.
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Slàn agus beannachd,
Allen R. Alderman
'S i Alba tìr mo chridhe. 'S i Gàidhlig cànan m' anama.
Scotland is the land of my heart. Gaelic is the language of my soul.
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Advice Needed From Christian Men
