A friend here at 43T said I am a pacifist. Yes, I think that is part of what I am. But necessity also makes me a believer in widely amassing lethal force for deterrence purposes. Not your typical philosopher, eh?? :-)

Here is why.

Humanity is in a social mess, I believe. Our underestimation of self, as well as unjustified greed of a few, compromise our human dignity and oppress us all. We often sacrifice our freedom/duty to think justly and act fairly at the altars of job security, family and personal lives, and short-term gain.

Since currently this is how we the people of the world choose to behave, any meaningful, long-term reform must effectively understand and tackle this situation, I believe.

So how does ‘lethal force’ come into the picture? Well, it is in our nature to love but it is also in our nature to oppress. We are kind but we are also harsh. We are caring but we are also cruel. Essentially, we are humans, not angles.

So where pacifism encourages love, kindness and care, the threat of lethal forces in the hands of a fair person/entity reduces oppression, harshness and cruelty.

Hence, I think both pacifism and threat of lethal force are needed to bring about the necessary reform in a society.

I do not claim to know it all. Friends, if interested, please feel free to ask questions so that both you and I could better understand this. Mine is an endeavor to learn and not so much to be cheered. Thank you.