The Communitas of Nonviolence

Abstract

There is a growing awareness among the people of the world that the power of armed force is of negative value. Large numbers of people hold to the lore of humanism, what it means to be human. What people respect is a kind of compassionate Buddhism, like that of the Dalai Lama—perhaps the most religious person in the world. Love and care for nature is right, a concern for the oppressed is right, and sometimes a willingness to die for these causes without returning a blow in the struggle is right.¹