RITE ACTION

Contra-Violence and Warrior Ethics

This section of the site is in development. It will present some radical and politically uncorrect ideas about the options available when kindness and non-violent action do not work.

Currently, John is in dialogue with Joanna Harcourt-Smith and their spiritual brothers at the Marion Institute, considering the ethical question of ahimsa, harmlessness, and the tactic of non-violent resistance proposed by Ghandi, Thoreau, the Dalai Lama and others. Recently, in perfect timing with these considerations, Daniel Pinchbeck wrote to John with a challenging question:

May 3, 2008
Hi John,

I keep thinking about your idea of how initiatory science was distorted into technique of social manipulation and indoctrination. This is obvious today with military training and video games that create imprints during mild trance or dissociative states. This was consciously recognized by the guy who started The Temple of Set and wrote about mind control tactics for the military.

A big question I have is whether the propaganda / manipulation / nlp-type techniques can be used for "good" - can people be indoctrinated into nonviolence, self-reliance, pursuit of gnosis, etc., or can these only happen in an entirely different register?

Gandhi for instance saw himself as creating propaganda for nonviolence and believed the technique could be taught and spread just like literacy.

Anyway, I wanted to invite you to write an essay about this issue for Reality Sandwich, if you feel like it, as I would be curious to know your perspective.

Yours,
Daniel

In this new section of the site John will respond directly to Daniel's question. Rite Action will propose a possible method for effective response to actions that deliberately oppose, defeat, and destroy the natural goodness of humanity, as well as to the specific individuals who perpetrate such actions, or cause them to be perpetrated. The name I give to this method is contra-violence. To be distinguished most emphatically from non-violence.

On "how initiatory science was distorted into technique of social manipulation and indoctrination," see the extract from Not in His Image.

Essays in progress for Rite Action:

When Kindness Fails

The Eightfold Noble Impasse

Prison Camp Love

For the Love of Icke

Stay tuned!

JLL 3 May 2008 Andalucia