I've been reflecting on the Paxtial Arts for a while now and what it all means, so to speak. Something that came into my head is that the ideas and topics presented are non-violent, but they are more than that. What do you call something that is non-violent, but yet novel in its' approach? I continued reflecting on this and came up with a term that seems to resonate with me, and that is "creative non-violence".

Borrowing from the Bible (as it is a book I am quite familiar with), there is a passage from Matthew 5:41 that states: If a soldier forces you to walk with him one mile, go with him two.

As I read this for the thousandth time, I finally asked the question, "why"? As I dug in I found something really interesting. Back in the days of the Bible, a Roman soldier was allowed by law to have non-Roman citizens carry their gear for one mile. But, why does the passage above say to "go with him two"?

The answer I came to is that it upsets the power dynamic. For the first mile, the solder is in control of the power. That soldier effectively owns that person carrying their gear for one mile. However, once you get to mile two, you have a choice. Drop the gear and go on with you life, or offer to take it another mile. Doing this has a prfound consequence. You upset the power dynamic. Now, the Roman soldier either has to refuse the help, or accept it, thereby humanizing the person carrying the gear. With that brief moment, the power has been taken away from the Roman soldier, and given to the person carrying the gear.

So, I encourage you all as you watch these lessons to consider how we can use what we learn in order to incite "creative non-violence". I think I may go back over some lessons I completed with this new lens and consider things a little differently.

Hope y'all are doing well, enjoyed the holidays, and enjoying your Paxtial Arts journey. I know I am.

Travis