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Thoughts and opinions from the Center

Lone Gunman Theory

Center For Nonviolence Community Alliance Page – February 2023

Every year as the MLK holiday weekend approaches I begin to feel a bit nauseated—not because of Dr. King himself, but because of the way our culture has tried to transform his memory into something that will make it more palatable to white sensibilities. I have a great deal of respect for the real Dr. King, which is why I find it so offensive that his message seems to become more diluted each year. Way too much attention is paid to his famous March on Washington speech of August 28, 1963, while the larger body of his work gets overlooked. Indeed, even within the analysis of that one speech, there is too much emphasis on the easiest to swallow, least offensive parts of the oration—specifically, the “I HAVE A DREAM” sequence. That sequence about the dream was tacked onto the end of his speech in an impromptu way. It was not even a part of his prepared text. It is highly unlikely that he wanted the “I have a dream” addendum to be the main takeaway from his speech that day. If one looks at the whole body of MLK’s work a very different picture emerges.

By CJ, ago

Help us to Stop the Hate

Wednesday, January 25, 5:30 pm Help us to Stop the Hate Attend this Town Hall and bring your friends.  We also invite you to help us promote this event:   If you are on Facebook please help us get the word out about the Stop the Hate Town Hall on Read more…

By CJ, ago
Martin Luther King, JR

Center For Nonviolence Community Alliance Page – January 2023

Every year as the MLK holiday weekend approaches I begin to feel a bit nauseated—not because of Dr. King himself, but because of the way our culture has tried to transform his memory into something that will make it more palatable to white sensibilities. I have a great deal of respect for the real Dr. King, which is why I find it so offensive that his message seems to become more diluted each year. Way too much attention is paid to his famous March on Washington speech of August 28, 1963, while the larger body of his work gets overlooked. Indeed, even within the analysis of that one speech, there is too much emphasis on the easiest to swallow, least offensive parts of the oration—specifically, the “I HAVE A DREAM” sequence. That sequence about the dream was tacked onto the end of his speech in an impromptu way. It was not even a part of his prepared text. It is highly unlikely that he wanted the “I have a dream” addendum to be the main takeaway from his speech that day. If one looks at the whole body of MLK’s work a very different picture emerges.

By CJ, ago
Buddha

Center For Nonviolence Community Alliance Page – December 2022

The man who became the Buddha was known as Gautama, and he was born into a warrior clan known as the Shakyas. But even before Gautama was born as a Shakya warrior, he had been a warrior of another kind. In previous lives, Gautama had been a bodhisattva. Bodhisattva means “awakening being” and refers to a person of any culture that is brave and willing to walk on the path of wakefulness. . . . They are awakening warriors that give up floating through life aimlessly and being concerned only with themselves. Awakening warriors live in a way that is of benefit to all, and their work is done here in this world. They see that we must all take responsibility for ending suffering, not just for our own individual freedom, but for that of others as well. What these awakening warriors realize is that in order to live harmoniously and with joy, they must take their natural place in the world.

By CJ, ago

Center For Nonviolence Community Alliance Page – October 2022

Live and let live, it happened so long ago, and we have learned our lessons, right? Wrong! Since the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki over 77 years the United States has learned to build more and more weapons of destruction and of different varieties. Smaller and more dangerous, currently we may have nuclear weapons that can fit in a lunch box, enjoy your meal. We have handed the technology, spawned an industry, like candy on Halloween to friendly (?) nations like Iraq and Iran. We are on the cusp of surrounding Russia ready to blame Putin for anything that goes wrong. Does this sound like we learned anything? Instead of learning to put away such dangerous toys
and make agreements never to go nuclear again, especially after seeing its destructiveness. We continued to build more and more as well as to deceive the public with propaganda techniques claiming that that it wouldn’t be harmful or used for peaceful reasons. This actions of a small group of people continue to reverberate around the world bringing the most negative consequences to our planet.

Image Credit: https://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/

By CJ, ago