Don’t be afraid to pass. Pass the mustard. Pass the soccer ball. Toss me a beer and pass the two-footer, but for the sake of humanity, do not pass on pacifism. If we let this one slip through our fingers, we may wind up losing those freedoms in a land mine explosion.

The anti-pacifist wants us to drop the ball on the issue of war, because the military industrial machine will not make billions if we all decide to shoot hugs instead of guns. However, pacifism is not an issue; it is a way of life, which is way more important than bond issue 420. For the first time in our generational reign, the responsibility of non-violent activism falls upon us.

Pacifism has been a successful tool against oppression for centuries. The single activist can have as profound effect as an army inducing peace. The images of a monk, engulfed in flames, resonates my memory with the dedication of one man’s desire for his people to be left in peace. Maybe the time has come for someone to douse themselves in gasoline and fire it up while enjoying the view of the white man’s mansion of overindulgence. Imagine the look on our leader’s faces as they all look out the window of the oval office…hell, they would likely shrug and give those confused grins that Americans have come to know and abhor.

The pacifist movement must begin with one charismatic enthusiast, although the multitudes are certainly vital. The most successful, non-violent protests have begun with an individual, un-faded by the source of tyranny, threatening to take what’s not theirs, particularly the freedom of the oppressed. Common examples of pacifism are well-documented in the works of a man called Jesus. His pacifism flourished amidst arguably the mightiest military empire the world had ever known. Did he pick up bows and arrows? No, he passed out bread and love. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s. Jesus knew how to throw down without throwing down like those meat head assholes that get too drunk and invade the cool bars with that “I want to fight somebody attitude.” Remember this: If ever confronted with a drunken idiot at a bar intending on whooping your ass, just smile. Tell him that you got nothing but love for him, and tell him that God especially loves them. It will totally diffuse the situation.

The greatest pacifist of our time, the late and great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., did more for America than George Washington, Abe Lincoln and Superman. His daily life was smothered with hatred so fierce it would have driven any normal man to grab a gun. However, Dr. King was not a normal man. His level of ethical and moral intellect is matched by only the Gods. His message was pacifism and non-violent protest in the ugly face of brutal oppression. A story out of Birmingham from the early sixties goes something like this: As the crowd of protesters approached, they carried no weapons, armed only with the tools of song and peace. The police had their dogs and batons while the firemen had to pull back that lever and let a torrent of hate wash away peaceful human beings like garbage floating away in the street. As the order came to “release the hounds” and turn on the hoses, nobody reacted. No dogs attacked that morning; no heads were bashed in and no grown men were arrested for executing their first amendment rights. The pacifism somehow spread to the police and firemen. Call it karma or psychological transformation of the peace hormone. Whatever it was, it simply comes down to the innate goodness that is in every single person. On that day those cops were stoned on love.

It’s a shame that our two greatest pacifists met their ends prematurely. Or is it? Jesus’ message is heard worldwide by millions of people. Dr. King’s dream is being lived out daily, although we still have a long, arduous journey to end racism. However, we’re about to take a huge step towards that goal in early November.

Pacifism is not easy and it takes extraordinary people to accomplish such a task. But we are the masses, and damnit, we run this country, not the generals, the politicians and not the oil executives. Let us all begin this journey of peace together, and let us not sit around and wait for a miracle to happen. We have the control.