There is a moving World War II story about a conscientious objector who received the Congressional Medal of Honor. It seems that the soldier, who served as a medic in the Pacific theatre, saved dozens of his wounded comrades who were pinned down by enemy fire. He risked his life over and over in spite of being wounded himself.
Afterwards, his company commander asked the basis of his heroism. The conscientious objector answered, "My religious convictions do not permit me to kill, but they do permit me to die."
Sometimes we view non-violent people as cowards when nothing could be further from the truth. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, both pacifists, were certainly not sissies. Jesus and Buddha were not wimps. Sometimes it takes more strength to risk harm without giving injury than it does to strike back.
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