Non Violence

excerpts from an email sent by Amber Temkin

"Non-violence is a value in the sense that one must hold the idea in some esteem and see value in the action and outcome of said action. Non-violence is not the absence of violence. It is an action, just as violence is an action. Non-violence is not submission to violence either.

As all values, I believe that one must start with onself. The idea epitomises that one does not allow/tolerate violence to be used against oneself. What is violence in this context? Anything from allowing oneself to stay in an unhealthy relationship, eating too much food or too little, not giving oneself enough sleep, working too much, expoilting or otherwise abusing one's body, mind, freedoms, etc. to the other extreme of allowing others to do such violence onto you."