Thank you for your calm article!
Almost everyone who is for quite a while on steemit is watching this event.
I did not engage in the commenting because I did not want to give more energy on aroused emotions; it would just feed the beast one more time.
As you said, this reflects the real world and vice versa. My notion is that as long as humans exist, the "evil" will challenge "the good". We won't reach the point of one terminating the other. That won't happen.
Having said this I already made my ruling and try to live up the ethics I learned from wise role models and people I admire (historical, biblical, philosophical, psychological figures). We've got ethics for thousands of years handed from one generation to the other. Same thing is happening again and again.
The best way to deal with it, is in my view not to feed on top of the war. If the warriors were just left alone in a one on one confrontation, they soon would cool off. Of course they try hard to pull people to their sides and once that is accomplished, war can continue. Therefore one cannot blame the starters and even not the followers because things are just how they are.
If I MYSELF can accept that this events are never to be stopped but will continue to happen, I can make peace with myself. If my wish that war ends, fades away in the daily duties I am pleased to fulfill, war might come to a halt, BECAUSE I accept it to happen. Does that make sense to you?
For me it is the same with death. Death you cannot prevent only accept, the same with birth. That does not mean that I do not engage in human interactions, develop compassion and do what I can.
Peace to you and everybody, though :-)
What you speak of is a fine line. On one side some may take what you said as 'just ignore them and they will go away'. This is a dangerous view as ignoring the war without confronting the participants essentially gives them our consent to proceed with the war, killing and pillaging. Of course, by taking sides we also consent through our actual participation. So what I have learned in my life is that I must speak up and confront all those who engage in violence without engaging myself. I can do that by saying 'no', living in peace, leading my example and rebuking those who engage in the violence. I'm not feeding the war, but I am shedding light on the issues and bringing awareness to the harm being done. I fully recognize that I cannot stop the violence as I cannot change anybody but myself. However, I can influence people and I do that by walking my path and sharing my story with others. If that influence means that some people see what I speak of and choose to end the violence in their own lives, then I have made a huge difference in this world. I know this has happened many times already! If others chose not to end the violence, then I forgive them and pray that Creator softens their hearts so that the seeds of love, compassion, freedom, prosperity and joy can enter their lives. I am at peace with myself and have been for years. That happened as a result of my own work and had nothing to do with what is going on around me. I've accepted 100% responsibility and accountability for my life. That is where my peace is rooted and that is the peace I speak about when I confront others on their behaviours. I avoided confrontation at all costs and it nearly cost me my life. Now I embrace peaceful confrontation no matter how uncomfortable it may feel as I hold up the mirror for people to peer into their hearts. This allows me to do the same as I peer into mine deeper and deeper through this process.
What is the other side of the fine line? Did it come through to you?
I am not quite sure if you are talking to me or to someone who might take the dangerous side of the line - which would not be my own interpretation, as I hopefully made clear. .... If I would ignore war, I wouldn't even know about it. I guess nobody can ignore it even by trying.
My offering was an "if" - I am also not sure if I already got there - to acceptance.
I was referring to somebody taking the dangerous side of the line, my comments were not directed towards you specifically. I think if we ignore the war, our own silence is consent which is violence. As a result, I don't think we can afford to ignore the war. <3