107: Trapped in Bottom of the 9th (5)

【From Top of the 1st】
“But if there’s no justice in killing them back, then what are we to do?”
 
In this way, when we’re on the brink of elimination with our backs against the wall, we're left with no sensible option to choose from. In fact, we’re only left with unreasonable/unjust options, pressed to hastily make sense of killing newborn babies, small children, and innocent people.

Nevertheless, even when we're trapped in this Bottom-of-the-9th-inning-with-2outs situation, it doesn't alter the fact that injustice is still injustice.

So then, what can we do?

Here, let's begin by saying that starting any discussion from the Bottom-of-the-9th-inning-with-2outs situation is too little too late.
 
Whenever a discussion entails “Peace and War” or “Nonviolence and Violence,” many people often rush to bring up the Bottom-of-the-9th-inning-with-2outs argument as if a treasured sword. The arguments in the likes of “Nonviolence couldn’t have stopped Hitler” or “Militarist Japan wouldn’t have surrendered without dropping the atomic bombs.”
 
Simply put, that discussion, in and of itself, is futile because when that’s where we start the conversation from, there’s obviously very little that can be done; we’re only left with terrible options to choose from.
 
It’s like being trapped in the Bottom-of-the-9th-inning-with-2outs, which quickly leads to “If we don’t kill back, then they’ll kill us again.” There’s no intelligence in that, and we want to be intelligent to stop all killings.
 
But as long as we continue to stay trapped in that rut, no meaningful idea/discussion will come out of it.

Instead, we need to begin thinking and discussing from the Top-of-the-1st-inning; from the start of the game. In fact, even better if we can start from pre-game practice. What we need to think and discuss is how to create a world where we don't end up in the Bottom-of-the-9th-inning-with-2outs situation. For that, an honest and sincere peace education is truly essential.
 
To make this world a better place for everyone. Make no mistake, this responsibility falls upon all adults.
 
Of course, entertainment is important. From babies to grown-ups, entertainment is necessary for everyone to bring smiles to our life.
 
Nonetheless, while a viral fun video on YouTube may fetch over 5 million views a week, how many people are reading the important books on peace education?
 
How many people contemplate deeply about the wisdom shared in the books by Martin Luther King Jr. or Mahatma Gandhi? Regrettably, it seems too few people truly comprehend and live by the ideas of those who’ve courageously practiced nonviolent resistance. Likewise, too few people contemplate honestly about the gut-wrenching thoughts on war responsibility shared by Saburo Ienaga.
 
Truth be told, what’s most important is our own actions taken during normal times; in our everyday life on an ordinary day. By thinking and discussing from the Top-of-the-1st-inning, we can create a world where we don't end up in the Bottom-of-the-9th-inning-with-2outs situation.
 
To be sure, we must remember about those who are willing but unable. For example, the people who live under less fortunate circumstances exposed to violence/abuse/poverty may find it nearly impossible.
 
Or, for those of us who are swamped with work or raising young children. When we finally get a moment of break perhaps late at night after the kids have gone to bed, a book on nonviolence or war responsibility often feels very heavy to pick up.
 
But isn’t it also true that even for those who find ourselves in more comfortable circumstances, we still tend to invent creative excuses to indulge in entertainment?
 
In order for us to stop our raw emotions from taking over, falling for the fear hysteria, and embarking upon inconceivable insanity as we’ve seen throughout the history of mankind. To bring a permanent end to the unspeakable cruelties of wars/conflicts instead of a temporary halt.
 
Let’s start from the Top-of-the-1st-inning.

Read Previous: Trapped in Bottom of the 9th (4)【No Sensible Option Left】
 
Complete Series: Trapped in Bottom of the 9th (1)～(5)
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Read Theme: Violence/Peace