Energy

69:

On the face of it, dynamic non-violence needs an ability to discriminate right from wrong. But this leads us into the quagmire of value judgment. I am, for instance, in the ‘right-thinking’ camp, and compare myself to what I think of as the ‘wrong-thinkers’, to whom I’m unattractive and maybe even dangerous.

            I’d be on safer ground if I spent less thinking about good and bad and concentrated on energy. I think that non-violence is a highly efficient energy, and I want to produce it and gain from it. If my energy is used for non-violent activity I’ll experience no energy-drain, whereas violence drains precious energy.

            I’ve never heard of anyone actually advocating violence, it’s what we resort to, for pragmatic reasons, more like a fall-back position. The quick-fix is a temptation, and any violence involved is overlooked, not because we like being wicked but because we think we can take a short cut and get a result. And get away with it. We don’t see how it sucks energy out of us. Meat eaters think they can ‘get away’ with their meat diet without too much damage. But of course damage shows up later, down the track, sometimes too late for rescue.

            “Damn it”, they might say.  “If only we’d been less obstinate, listened to our instincts and advice ... and become vegan ... and not taken such risks with our lives as well as the lives of others”.