Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started

Tag: violence

Are We A Just Society?

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”

~Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was an African American social reformer, abolitionist, orator and statesman who worked tirelessly to eradicate slavery in the United States. He was born a slave and became the antithesis of white, slave owners’ propaganda that black people were inferior intellectually. His intellectual prowess and eloquence are readily apparent in his words quoted above. Continue reading “Are We A Just Society?”

Revenge: Why Not?

“Revenge only engenders violence, not clarity and true peace. I think liberation must come from within.”

~ Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros (1954 – ) is Mexican by heritage and spent her childhood migrating with her family between Mexico City and Chicago – where she attended high school and studied for her degree. She is a venerated Chicana writer who struggled with her cultural identity throughout her youth. She is best known for her novel House on Mango Street where she tells the stories of the marginalised women with whom she identifies.

In this quote, Cisneros points out that revenge itself is an act couched in a desire to inflict some suffering upon another. As such, it seeks to do harm, not good, and will, therefore, foster the same desire within the targeted person or party. Continue reading “Revenge: Why Not?”

IF YOU DON’T FEEL SAFE… #RRBC

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”

~ Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was born into slavery in Maryland. After his escape, he became a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman. Douglass was committed to the cause of equality for all peoples, no matter their race or gender. He believed in the liberal values of the American Constitution and was said to have made a career of disturbing the American conscience. Continue reading “IF YOU DON’T FEEL SAFE… #RRBC”

STARTING A WAR IS EASY…

It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace.

André Gide

Andre Gide (1869-1951) was a French author and winner of a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947. He was noted for his significant writings about human problems and conditions. It is important to understand that Gide lived in Paris, France, during both World War I and World War II – two of the most horrendous armed conflicts in history to that date. Within this context, I consider his words about war and peace. Continue reading “STARTING A WAR IS EASY…”