There is a danger, of course, that reading this passage, with its emphasis on being peaceable and “willing to yield,” could suppress the active pursuit of justice among people who are deprived of the basic necessities of life. Is James saying that those who do not have enough to eat should just accept their lot in life, and be “willing to yield” to the powerful? Does being peaceable mean being passive in the face of injustice? By no means. James’s explicit concern for “widows and orphans” should