I can only presume everyone has looked at how countries like the US and Switzerland approach conscientious objectors of the draft and try to get them to contribute at some level / try to undo their thought processes. For me personally, I am anti-killing, anti-military and anti-government in the sense that I really don't want to kill anyone ever and wouldn't want to be drafted to protect oil company profits, but not pacifist on religious grounds, and I feel personally if I were to conscientiously object to a draft its not fair for another draftee to be responsible for killing to protect my children, if my family's life is in danger it ought to be me that defends them, in that scenario I would I suppose cease to be a pacifist.

In the case of the US draft in WWII for example and generally speaking, I would be happy to be drafted into the medical services given my line of civilian work, as a way to consciously object to killing other people. Failing that for what ever reason, I would be happy to go to jail or be a participant of an experiment (in the case of WWII for example, American COs were sprayed with DDT to see what would happen to them, and monitored in a controlled starvation simulation to see how they respond to being fed again - so they could learn how to rehabilitate holocaust survivors). being a participant of such studies could be dangerous as could going to jail - psychologically and career wise - but this would be presumably better than compromising on principles.

I am wondering if being ok with being drafted into a non-combat medical role, or caving on the family question, means I am not a true pacifist?

And, I am wondering if others have looked at how to approach questions around the draft. and others personal opinions?

When I was little my mom had one of her friends move in with me, my step dad, sister and herself to help with bills and the problem with that was that her friend wouldn't constantly get drunk and always cause fights and arguments and growing up with it I think might've scarred me? Idk I've been thinking about it a lot lately

Wanted to make the options short so yes i simply wrote Russia bad^^ I would love to hear every opinion no matter how unpopular, with that being said, Peace and love to you all.

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I've been a pacifist all my life, as in no killing no matter what, not even in self defense or of others, and I've never been able to figure out why. No one ever taught me to be this way, no religion or philosophy I've been exposed to encouraged this, and no one in my family is one. I've given up trying my make sense of the why and I've also stopped trying to rationalize it or defend it. Refusing to hurt people is just right, period. I don't care about any rationalizations, any what ifs, if being a pacifist is immoral, fine, I don't care, I'm immoral.

But wouldn't the world be better if everyone was as 'bad' as me? To me pacifism doesn't need justification, it doesn't need to be goal oriented or be proven to be simply a better alternative. I don't feel the way I do becuase it's a strategy to achieve change, I reject violence becuase there is nothing more repulsive and disgusting in the world then to take a life, I don't care about the why or who, not important to me. I'm tired of not understanding why I am this way, being so apart from everyone else for no damn reason, but screw it, I'm willing to sound egotistical by claiming everyone else who says violence can be moral is sick.

I'm not a hypocrite as I've never once in my life struck anyone. I'm sick of every source of morality having exceptions for killing and war and the horror of it all. I'm sick everyone hating pacifists who refuse to kill Nazi's in that hypothetical crap everyone brings up. Yes I had family who were murdered in the holocaust and I say without hesitation I wouldn't go back in time to kill Hitler. I don't care if that means I'm moral coward or I'm placing my own feelings above innocent lives. I guess when it comes down to it is my pacifism can't be defended or explained, and I am now ok with that, it's who I am, asking why is like asking why my favorite color is green, there is no reason, it's just how I am and I'll never feel ashamed or distraught about it again. Thanks for your time.

I am an angry person. I get tripped and set off by even the slightest of things. Everything in my life revolves around discourse. My friends all carry guns, people hate each other with politics, they support this they hate that and honestly I just want out of all of it. I want to see the world through a lens of more than just frustration, anger and fear, but I have no idea where to even start. I live in the US and I have looked for US based groups that do not support war, guns, or active aggression and I can find nothing.

I’m as far left as you can go, but strict nonviolence can get you enslaved and killed if you don’t at least defend yourself against aggression.

I think violence is a necessary evil to defend against reactionaries and fascists who want nothing but power and status.

Without justice there can be no peace.

As a pacifist. Am i allowed to kill insects? Im lowkey scared of the little guys and if they invade my house...

I was raised a pacifist. My father was damned near close to Jainism in how much he abhorred violence and conflict. He quite seriously couldn't hurt a fly. He would catch roaches and spiders and release them outside. It left an enormous impression on me.

During the Bush administration, this was a very common sentiment among liberals(which was almost all of my family and friend group). Then, sometime around 2010 something started to change. I remember one friend read Ward Churchill's "Pacifism As Pathology" around that time. In the following years, more friends seemed to shake off pacifism as if it was a fad.

Then in 2014, I had a D&D group with a few seemingly hippie-ish young women in their early 20s. To my shock and disgust, all of them thought pacifism was dumb and had a "bash the fash" mindset. Somehow, bizarrely, they hated Obama...like I mean they actually wished him dead. This was the first time I had ever of a left wing person hating a democratic president. I mean...I was disappointed that Obama continued the war on terror and was drone striking people, but I didn't hate him for it. I figured he was doing the best he could with the circumstances he found himself in. I certainly didn't wish him harm.

But now, it's 2022, and pacifism seems to have vanished completely. And I wonder now...were people only "pacifists" because it was hip and "progressive"? I can't remember the last time I even spoke to another pacifist. More and more, the whole idea is just completely alien to people when I bring it up. Looking at how dead this subreddit is would seem to support that the viewpoint has lost considerable popularity. Even just trying to google about pacifism is haunting. There's a gigantic vacuum of coverage of pacifism in the West. No indication of any pacifist movement. No news articles advocating for pacifism.

What is going on? How did this happen?

Edit: Even all of this doesn't do justice to how jarring this is. Pacifism in 2005 wasn't just resistance to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It was a widespread rejection of violence in its entirety. There were countless thousands(millions?) of articles that were written over those years celebrating this idea. And now that's all just completely gone. For a while, seemingly everyone thought one thing("violence is bad"). Now, unceremoniously, seemingly everyone thinks the polar opposite("violence is fine and necessary"). Huh?

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Charles Spurgeon: https://spurgeonwarquotes.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/a-spurgeon-thought-for-veterans-day/

What would you do if you were a pacifist in Ukraine right now?

Hi guys I know this isnt about the war, but I wanted to bring some positivity here. Ever since a fight w my father, I was so entrenched in some pretty heavy metal thoughts and violent ways of thinking. I was suffering from so much anger towards the world and people who hurt me and others. Last night I decided I had enough and took a vow of pacifism and non violence before God (if you believe in God, I happen to). Now I feel free, and able to live a life away from violence. I vowed never to harm another living being so long as I live (not including squishing bugs or catching fish) and to never abuse or do harm to another soul (that includes emotional and verbal abuse) so help me God. I just wanted to share this with you all and encourage you guys to do the same if you would like.

Only three nations: Russia, The United States and Ukraine