Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

Nonviolence is an ideal practice that can brings significant changes to the world as we

know it today. Nonviolence practices are not prevalent in our society, which poses a concern.

Our society is filled with violent practices that induce fear and hostility. In looking at our society

today, nonviolent systems would offer a remedy to practices that promote violence and would

instead promote peace.

My drawing represents the system that abolishes the use and production of firearms.

Weapons have been used for decades to dismantle and destroy. Simply stated in the terms of

American western, one of the great cultural institutions for fostering violence, the world is made
Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

up of good guys and bad guys, and the good guys have to shoot the bad guys for everyone’s

well-being. (Kurlansky). With a system that abolishes the production and use of firearms, society

as we know it would be forever changed. My image represents what could be if guns were

abolished. My drawing shows two women, and two males out in a park at night. One of the

women is holding a no guns sign in solidarity with the new changes. People of different races are

comfortable together, and no one is fearful of a gun attack that would leave them dead. The

system that abolishes the use and production of firearms would be considerably tricky to

establish. The system would require all owners of firearms to return them to the federal

government, and all firearm production factories would have to immediately cease production.

The system would levy nonviolent punishments against those who did not obey the new law,

such as serving thirty or more days in confinement or in rehabilitation facilities. Because

weapons and violence are such a strong part of American society, I think the people who own

firearms will cause the biggest problems. I also believe governments will also be reluctant to

give up firearms, because they will essentially have to also give up violent militaries. In the early

eighteenth century the Massachusetts colony found it necessary to pass a law establishing prison

sentences for those who refused to bear arms. (Kurlansky) In response to firearms being banned,

I would anticipate that individuals will try to recreate weapons on their own, or resort to other

methods of violence instead. If this occurs, then these individuals will need to be punished

accordingly to discourage future rebels. The abolition of guns has been long overdue in America.

America suffers from the highest number of school shootings, and record numbers of gun

violence. Additionally, the police force has abused their gun powers to a point where citizens do

not feel safe in contacting them when problems arise. Even crimes between individuals of the

same race are made considerably worse when guns are involved. If guns were abolished, then
Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

America and the world overall would be a safer place. In America, without guns police would

not be able to kill as easily. Civilians would not be able to kill other civilians with this use of

force, and wars would be almost nonexistent if guns were abolished. Other petty crimes such as

robberies, home invasions, and kidnapping, would all become less frequent in theory without

these additional tools of violence. I think that the abolition of guns should have happened

hundreds of years ago. The number of lives that have been loss to gun violence exceeds millions,

especially when world wars and civil wars are factored in. Chelcický was one of the first to see

that the cause of perpetual war lies not in the nature of man but in the nature of power.

(Kurlansky) I think that without guns then the world would be one step closer to a nonviolent

state and world peace. History teaches over and over again that a conflict between a violent and a

nonviolent force is a moral argument. The lesson is that if the nonviolent side can be led to

violence, the have lost the argument and they are destroyed. ( Kurlansy) I think that this system

is not law in the United States already because the United States thrives off the power and fear

the military poses. To establish a world living in peace would require the abandonment of power

politics, both on the grand scale-states trying to bend other states to their will-and on the small

scale-legal systems coercing social behavior with the threat of prison. (Kurlansky) The American

military is feared in every country, and with good reason. The United States spends billions of

dollars on defense measures, building new weapons and bombs to cause chaos. I think that the

abolition of guns would be a necessary step in unarming the United States and persuading other

countries to follow suit and drop arms.

Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

A system that abolishes the

use and production of firearm

weapons would help increase

nonviolence. Man-made weapons

such as guns and bombs create

havoc on the Earth whenever they

are used. As a result of this of this

system, weapons would not be

widely used because punishment

would undoubtfully follow. Two

drawbacks I would anticipate from

this system would come from guns

owners who are reluctant to give up

their weapons. Second, I think that

governments and militaries would

have issues with this proposal

because a reduced number of

weapons would also threaten their

ability to defend. In response, I

would advocate for tasers to replace

guns, or other temporarily disabling

tactics. However, any form that

should replace guns should also be non-violent and should not be able to cause death.
Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

punishment for offenders of this act should be a rehabilitation form of recovery and that includes

no form of violence as well.

A system that does not allow anyone to be sold or placed into sex trafficking operations.

Young adults are the prey of sex trafficking rings, and these criminals often go unfound and

unpunished. A system that stops sex trafficking would save millions of victims and would save

millions of families from pain. However, in order to achieve this surveillance or some other form

of security might be required in order to ensure the safety of everyone. I anticipate that

drawbacks of this systems would be from the increased security efforts, and from people who

benefit from running and operating the rings. In order to combat these, I would ensure that

increased security is in the best interests of everyone and would lead to a safer society.

A system that does not violently punish people who break the law. Jails today are

inhumane, the living conditions include hard floors and beds, with shared if any toilets in the

cells. The air and heat systems are seen as luxuries “criminals” are not subject to have. The food

preparations and portions are often unappealing to the eye and even more unappealing to ingest.

In an essence, people who break the law are sent to places that some Americans wouldn’t let

their dogs sleep in. Jails should be a place of rehabilitation, not more punishment. Also,

punishment for people who break the law should not include violent acts like the death penalty.

In response I think that people would not like the treatment that “criminals” receive. However,

this can be combated with the fact that human beings are equals and should not deem one person

underserving because of their acts.

A system that gives rehabilitation services for non-violent drug offenses. Nonviolent drug

offenders make up a significant portion of the jail population. Nonviolent drug offenses should
Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

not be punished with lifetime prison sentences, instead these individuals should be given the help

they need and deserve. Some drawbacks that might arise involve the aspect that drug uses are

still breaking the law, and that drug offenders pose a security threat. In response I would

emphasis that drug users need assistance, and jail would not help these individuals.

A system that removes a political leader when their goals differ from the goals of the

people. According to the prevailing view, our rights to life, liberty, personal autonomy, property,

and happiness can disappear by political fiat (When nonviolence isn’t enough). This shows

political leaders have an immense amount of power. This is problematic because once political

leaders are elected, their position is protected for a set number of years. This view holds that

defensive violence, deception, destruction, and subterfuge are regulated by different moral

principles when it comes to government agents than they are in other contexts.(when

Nonviolence isn’t enough) This leads politicians to care less about the inputs from the citizens

they are meant to serve and instead to focus on retaining their position of power, even if that

means going against their constituents. Also, political leaders can become gridlocked on issues,

while the citizens suffer. In order to combat this, this system would remove leaders whose ideals

are not constituents with the goals and needs of the people. I think drawbacks from this system

would come mostly from politicians, one because the length of their term could be affected, and

because their power could also be affected. In response to this, I would emphasize the will of the

people, and of political leaders are following the will of the people then there is nothing to fear.

A system that abolishes slave ownership no matter the place, time, or circumstance.

Slavery has haunted the world since it began hundreds of years ago. Thomas Jefferson, who

professed to be opposed to slavery as a “political and moral evil” even while owning slaves,

believed that while all men were created equal, black men were less than equal.
Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

Today aspects of slavery are still alive and thrive in parts of the world. This system would

abolish slavery everywhere and would levy nonviolent punishments against perpetuators of this

crime. Some drawbacks to this system might include having nonviolent punishments for people

who are involved, also drawbacks might arise from individuals who greatly benefited from the

services slaves provided. In response to these drawbacks, I would recommend a longer sentence

for individuals who commit significant crimes, I would also recommend individuals to respect

the rights and freedoms of every individual.

A system that abolishes the poor class. The poor class in every nation suffer from intense

poverty. While each nation has millionaires and governments with significant funds, the poor

class still flourishes. This system would increase minimal wages, while providing more services

such as education. Poverty is a s system that can be abolished with the right tools. In 1170,

saying he was following the teachings of Christ, a wealthy merchant in Lyons, Pierre Valdes,

suddenly gave all his material wealth to poor people, and persuaded others to do the same.

(Kurlansky) Some drawbacks I can picture from this system include individuals who are

reluctant to pay workers more, and individuals who do not want government to become more

involved in the lives of the citizens. In response, I would highlight the pay differences between

low- and high-level employees, as well as benefits from increased government involvement.

A system that prevents the exploitation of workers by business owners. Business owners

often take advantage of their employees by providing salaries that are consistent with minimum

wage salaries. Locke believed that God gave man to use and enjoy and that since Europeans with

their advanced agriculture used it better than “savages,” they had the right to take it by force.

( Kurlansky) This is similar to how some businesses operate, they think employees do not

deserve a livable wage so they do not give it to them. This is problematic because workers not in
Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

management positions often have long hours, low wages, and slim benefits. This causes people

to become stuff in poverty and in a cycle of dependence on jobs that provide the bare minimum.

Some drawbacks to this system would come from business owners who are reluctant to pay

higher salaries, and from congress members who also want to protect their relationships with

these corporations that benefit from the hard labor of civilians. In response, the livable wage that

more workers would receive would offset the negative reactions from the business owners. Also,

congress members who are reluctant to these changes should be voted out and replaced with

individuals who value the time citizens spend working.

A system that discourages bullying and instead celebrates differences. Bullying can be a

source of violence. Bullying takes many forms and shows no remorse. Bullying occurs between

children and adults and has no limits. Bullying should be replaced with a system that celebrates

the differences between individuals instead of shamming a person for their characteristics.

Teaching people to celebrate differences instead of criticizing them would lead to less tension

between different people and different ethnicities. Proponents of nonviolence know that it is

often not the largest but the best organized and most articulate group that prevails. (Kurlansky)

In response to this system some drawbacks would include individuals who simply cannot respect

differences in opinions and ideas, another drawback would be individuals who refuse to teach

themselves or their children ways to celebrate differences instead of criticizing them. In response

to these drawbacks, I would emphasize how differences between two groups have often led to

civil wars and how differences can be used as an advancement instead of being seen as a

disadvantage.
Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

A system for young adults that teaches useful skills outside of grade school knowledge.

Grade schools teach valuable knowledge, however there are other trades and concepts that would

be useful to know for later stages in life. This system would teach financial literacy, trade skills

for other jobs, among other things. Drawbacks to this system may consist of finding appropriate

funding for these systems and finding places to conduct the classes that are available to large

parts of the population. I response to these drawbacks I would encourage governments to provide

more funding for programs to better the population, and resources that provide information to the

citizens about relevant programs in their area.

A system that provides all homeless individuals with food and housing. Homelessness

has often been talked about in politics and the news and such, however significant programs to

abolish homelessness have not been created. This system would provide homes and food for

homeless adults and children. Some drawbacks to this system include individuals against the

government or other individuals providing resources for the homeless. Another drawback could

come from leaders who disagree with helping abolish homelessness. In response to these

drawbacks, the focus should be kept on helping those in need. Homelessness is seen as a choice

by outsiders, however the circumstances that lead one to homelessness can happen to anyone.

A system that prevents sexual abuse of females and males. Sexual abuse is significant in

young adults and the trauma lasts a lifetime. A system that prevents sexual abuse would prevent

abusers from being able to carry out their attacks. In order to achieve this surveillance may be

needed, or forms of technology that can subdue undesired behaviors. Some drawbacks to these

systems would include the surveillance and new forms of technology. In response, I would state

how surveillance and new forms of technology have the potential to create a more nonviolent

society while also creating more accountability.

Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

In conclusion this project taught me a lot about themes and ideas surrounding

nonviolence. Nonviolence is a practice that was often looked down upon in the past. People who

choose to follow paths of nonviolence were seen as weak, when in truth they were showing the

utmost strength. Nonviolence can be practiced in many ways and can have significant benefits

for people all over the world. Governments are reluctant to practice nonviolent methods because

power is often correlated with force, however power can also come from building trust and

respect with the people of the land. Nonviolence is the path to equality, freedom, and world

peace however we the people have to decide to embrace it.

Word count : 2261

Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021
Keyondra Mitchell Peace Project Draft October 27, 2021

Sources

Kurlansky, Mark, and Dalai Lama. Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern

Library Chronicles). Print, Modern Library, 2008.

Brennan, Jason. “When Nonviolence Isn’t Enough.” Reason.Com, 31 Jan. 2020,

reason.com/2018/12/07/when-nonviolence-isnt-enough.