The message of the book I just read, "The People of Sparks," was that you can stop a cycle of hate and violence through acts of kindness and love. I am continually surprised as how well this works. Responding to hate with love usually a) makes the hater reconsider their attitude and/or b) really really upsets the hater. Either outcome is pretty nice.
The alternative, responding with more violence, solidifies and justifies the hater's attitude, while encouraging the development of more hate within you. As backwards as it sounds, acting with love or hate towards someone tends to promote the corresponding attitude in both of you. We embrace the role we find ourselves playing.
I also see this as one of Jesus' central messages, and one it seems Christians are often prone to forget, especially once they acquire political power. What would have happened if we had used the money spent on the Mid-East wars to instead build hundreds of schools and hospitals around the world? Would we be safer than we are now? I'm not sure, but it's an idea that catches my imagination...
"Who Would Jesus Bomb?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU3aQ43YkwU&feature=related
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