The truth about violence.
One time I was online and people were commenting on a post about violence against a homeless man.
Some were arguing that violence was horrible and the worst thing ever. Some were saying that violence was how people have overturned evil corrupt governments and saved themselves.
I was reading the comments and realized they were both right, but how could that be?
So I really thought about it, and thought about it, and finally I realized they were both correct, because violence is only a tool.
Just like anything it can be abused or used wisely.
Cars driving safely help us get places faster and have more free time for our friends and family, or used incorrectly can cause crashes that damage or kill.
Every day we as humans witness this situation where something can be good or horrible.
Medical drugs can be used to save lives, or used wrongly they can cause addiction and death. Recreational drugs, also, like marijuana and alcohol have the same situation. Used poorly they
can be horrible addictive substances or can be used to kill germs (alcohol) or stop siezures (the marijuana).
Sex also can be used wisely and be fun and wonderful, connecting people together, or it can be abused and destroy lives through rape, child sex abuse, molestation, etc.
Technology as well. It can make our lives easier through many productivity tools, freedom of information, and so on, or it can become a problem where AI is controlling and directing us through algorithyms, or as time suck and attention grabber that makes it hard to get things done or cause addiction. There are studies about this you can research if you like.
Similarly, violence is simply a tool that used wisely can protect you from rapists, murderers,
gansters, robbers, theives and literally save your life. Or if that power is abused then people
become those very things violence is useful against.
The law reflects this also. For thousands of years people have had to deal with these issues, and throughout history and in every country the laws (for the most part – in places with less corruption) state that you DO have the right to use violence to protect yourself, but not to hurt others who are minding their own business.
So, yes, both sides of the argument in those comments were correct, but for the most part the people arguing didn’t actually understand that. They were SO stuck in making sure the other side heard them that they couldn’t understand that the other side of the argument also had truth in it.
A wise person looks at both sides and considers that maybe there is a bigger picture, or that things might be more complex, or more simple than it seems at first.
I hope this is helpful for you in seeing where violence is actually good and appropriate in your life and where it is not. It is a valuable thing to know.
I hope this helps you judge when to use it or when not to.
It is a subject with so much confusion around it –especially because of all the emotions and trauma that surrounds it. My desire is that this brings some clarity for you about it.