Non-violence leads to optimism

Tuesday 11th May 2010

It might seem obvious to most of us, to apply non-violence to almost everything we do. But not everyone would agree with that. They’d be people who mix up the non-violent ethic with passivity and ‘do-nothing-ness’, and therefore they don’t see any point in pursuing non-violence as a central aim … and therefore see no point in changing their values accordingly.
But then there are other people in our society who are purposely avoiding all the routine violences in their lives. They see the future another way, a more optimistic way. They’re always wanting to contribute towards a better world.
Optimists don’t say it’s too late or “ We humans will never change”. They have enough faith in humans’ ability to will themselves into self confidence, if only to counter the prevailing pessimism of ‘the collective’.
If we are optimists we know it starts at home, in getting rid of bad habits and replacing them with better ones; recycling, buying environmentally-friendly products, eating more ethically. And as a result of that we feel better about ourselves and more optimistic about the future.