It is something I believe so strongly that I made it the second essential tenet of my world view: Interact with love, not force or violence.
You make no friends using force or violence; coercion can only silence your enemies, it will not convert them.
Through the years this has not stopped people who have set themselves above the rest of us from using force to impose their will. But while they may have changed the behavior of their subjects by using violence – or a very real threat of violence – they did not affect what was inside those beaten subjects.
All they created were dead enemies – or defeated enemies who avenged violence with violence at the first opportunity. And so the cycle has continued for centuries.
Only love can make a friend; it is that much more powerful than hate. Deploying love takes patience, forgiveness and a discipline that feels counterintuitive and defies human nature at times. But it is the only sure way to resolve a conflict. People respond in kind: Force your will on them, and they will eventually respond with force. Treat people with love and respect – even (or perhaps especially) those who wish you harm – and they will eventually respond with love and respect.
Early on I adopted what a long-ago philosopher called the Zero Aggression Principle – no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being for any reason whatever; nor should anyone advocate the initiation of force, or delegate it to anyone else.
I have always believed that a society based on that principle likely would not even need a government to keep the peace or secure liberty. I must confess I never expected I’d have the opportunity in my lifetime to test that theory.
Entry 76
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