My Favorite Pacism Story

By Best in Moderation

My mother is an avowed pacifist. Myself, a bit less so, though I admire how they address issues that other people think can't be solved without violence. Here is my favorite story of a pacifistic response to violence; feel free to add your own in the comments below.



Haile Selassie was not a pacifist, but he was caught in a situation where violence was not going to work. Stuck in the capitol, Selassie was confronted by a warlord who opposed him, Balcha Safo, and his massive army. Balcha camped out next to the city and waited for Selassie's reply.

Selassie knew he couldn't match his army or win a siege, so he devised a different strategy. He invited Balcha into the city for a banquet in his honor. Balcha, knowing how this was a tactic often used to lure people to their deaths instead, took a small army of 600 soldiers with him and forbade them from engaging in drink or feasting.

Selassie was a gracious host, praising Balcha and even having people make songs in his honor. He gave him the best food he had and offered anything he liked, in a total capitulation and appeasement. Balcha did not respond graciously, and continued his aggressive threats to Selassie, which he shrugged off with more offers of comfort etc.

By the end of the night, many of Balcha's soldiers were apologizing for his behavior, and they left the city to go back to their camp. No trap was sprung, no drinks were poisoned, and they exited the city gates without a problem and made their way to the camp of 10,000 soldiers.

Who were not there.

Selassie had sent HIS army to buy all the weapons from Balcha's soldiers with baskets of gold and then suggested they avail themselves to the pleasures of the city with their new-found wealth, to which most of the soldiers readily agreed. Balcha was met with the now very well armed army of Selassie, to which the 600 soldiers quickly surrendered. 

Selassie had the gold spent invested in his own city, got some new citizens along the way, and forced Balcha into joining a monastery. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

That Uplifting Tweet You Just Shared? A Russian Troll Sent It

Image
Here’s what Russia’s 2020 disinformation operations look like, according to two experts on social media and propaganda. By   DARREN LINVILL   &   PATRICK WARREN Internet trolls don’t troll. Not the professionals at least. Professional trolls don’t go on social media to antagonize liberals or belittle conservatives. They are not narrow minded, drunk or angry. They don’t lack basic English language skills. They certainly aren’t  “somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds,”  as the president once put it. Your stereotypical trolls do exist on social media, but the amateurs aren’t a threat to Western democracy. Professional trolls, on the other hand, are the tip of the spear in the new digital, ideological battleground. To combat the threat they pose, we must first understand them — and take them seriously. MORE: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/russia-troll-2020-election-interference-twitter-916482/ P...
Read more

The Nightmare Scenario That Keeps Election Lawyers Up At Night -- And Could Hand Trump A Second Term

Image
The Nightmare Scenario That Keeps Election Lawyers Up At Night -- And Could Hand Trump A Second Term   (Photo: Photos: Getty Images) Americans will almost certainly go to bed on Nov. 3 without knowing who won the presidential election. Since millions of people will vote by mail, constraints on time and resources will slow ballot counting into potentially a weeks-long process. Voting patterns suggest it’s likely that President  Donald Trump  could end Election Day in the lead in certain key states, only to be overtaken by Democratic opponent  Joe Biden  when more votes are tallied.  This could create a nightmare scenario during the three months stretching from Election Day to the Jan. 20 inauguration: a battle on the state and congressional level over who is the legitimate winner. This could include Congress reconvening on Jan. 6, presided over by Vice President  Mike Pence , with no consensus over its potential role in choosing the next president. This...
Read more

Philosophical Question #14 – Lifestyle Choices

Image
Here is an interesting question in my list of philosophical questions: 1.) Should governments have penalties for those who live unhealthy lifestyles? A list of unhealthy lifestyles would include things like smoking, drinking, illegal drugs, prostitution, and other “vice” type activities. I guess the “government penalties” would be referring to monetary punishments, withholding medical treatments (insurance companies would love that), possibly imposing/regulating very high (exorbitant) prices on things considered unhealthy in order to cut down on their use, and other possibilities. 2.) Or, would you say that living an unhealthy lifestyle, likely resulting in a LOT of eventual personal pain and suffering, should be punishment enough for unhealthy lifestyles? When people make bad choices in life, often in their youth where ignorance and immediate gratification takes them over,  3.) Should a society be obligated to help "fix" them, by way of tax money?   Is that part of...
Read more