What Is Civil Disobedience?

My opinions concerning civil disobedience are that it is one approach an individual or group can use in expressing disapproval to unfair laws enforced by the government in any nation. As a peace-loving and religious person, I would rather engage in or support civil disobedience acts like picketing or a protest march to express my disagreement with any perceived biased laws made the government or anyone in authority.

An example of civil disobedience happen recently, the entire public school in Ontario was shut down and millions of school children were forced to stay at home due to teachers strike action to display their disagreement to the offer of Doug ford's government's controversial proposals for increased average class sizes, mandatory online courses, one percent wage increase for teachers, teacher hiring, full-day kindergarten and special education funding.

After negotiation and bargaining over the last several months with the government which appears to be yielding little progress, hundreds of elementary teachers embarked on civil disobedience act by refusing to work and picketing along sidewalks with protest signs and forming rallies so the government will listen to their suggestions.

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I am in support with this type of civil disobedience demonstration against the government because it did not involve any form of violence that could cause harm, death, damage or destruction of property.it is always better to show our rejection or disapproval through peaceful protests than wasting lives and property in violent actions.

I would not like to go to jail to make a point because the prison is considered a place for criminals, lawbreakers or offenders.

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Going to jail for civil disobedience acts might not really change much in some cases but at least one would have the opportunity to satisfy his/her conscience by fighting for a cause they believe in at any cost. while in other cases going to jail for civil disobedience acts might bring about a change immediately or in the future. As in the case of Martin Luther King that fought against black oppression in America, Nelson Mandela who fought against racial segregation in South Africa and Mahatma Gandhi who fought against foreign domination in India. These great men foresee an issue with a resolution that is worthy of going to jail, they were beaten and even seriously hurt rather, than giving up on their cause, they stood their ground and their sacrifices have brought liberation to many today.

A more viable alternative to affect social change would be going to the law court or human right tribunal to settle disputes and help address our disapproval. A civil disobedient act is not usually aimed at deliberately breaking the law but trying to change an inappropriate law. All legal means like discussion, negotiation and bargaining must be attempted and exhausted before one tries to embark on civil disobedience. Recently, there was a scuffle of military tension between Iran and America, that resulted in the death of one of Iran's top military person. There was speculation that when Iran tried to retaliate, the missile they sent to America mistakenly hit a plane that killed many innocent men and women on that flight. If only they both countries have resulted in nonviolent action as a way of settling their difference, probably the lives of many would have been preserved.

Reflecting on the article 'applied experiment in peace, although the mock invasion demonstrated that peaceful or non- violent actions cannot be used to overcome conflicts, but the lessons learnt can be used as the foundation of peace. Grindstone's legacy was based on the belief that a non- violent solution to conflict and war could be attainable. Grindstone's experiments in peace and nonviolence have helped to prepare participants and those who used the camp said it was a transformational experience for them (Brookfield, 2019).

In conclusion, my opinion is that civil disobedience should never be the first option, The only acceptable reason for acting in civil disobedience is that you believe that the law you are breaking is wrong and that breaking that law is the only way available to show how wrong the law is. I believe 'Even to this day the world needs a person like Gandhi to bring about a revolution, a movement to end terrorism, poverty, and to spread the wisdom of Ahimsa' (Gandhi, 2001).

Updated: Jul 06, 2022
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What Is Civil Disobedience?. (2016, Mar 06). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/what-is-civil-disobedience-essay

What Is Civil Disobedience? essay
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