A shepherd must tend his flock. And at times… fight off the wolves. — The Patriot

I’ve met two people in my life who were true pacifists. One was a Buddhist and the other was a Christian. Both could quote chapter and verse from their respective holy writings about why they felt it was necessary to live without causing harm to others, and they truly walked the walk. I’ve met a lot of the other type of pacifists in my life. These were the kind of person who could never imagine being violent themselves, but were OK with others doing rough work on their behalf. Don’t ask them to defend themselves, but don’t be surprised when they call men with guns to come over and force compliance when you do something against them. On the other hand, I’ve known a few people who hated violence, but understood that it is sometimes necessary. They live their lives trying to not bring harm to their fellow man, but are always prepared to defend that which they love. The best example of this I can think of was the Airborne Ranger Catholic chaplain we had in Germany. He was very quick to remind us how to act and what our faith demanded, but he was also quick to help out at the rifle range or to discuss the righteousness of defending our country. A good shepherd never forgets that there are wolves out there, and that it is his responsibility to not only watch over his flock, but also to be prepared to fight to protect them.