Violence not only involves shooting bullets, war, causing bloodshed, and physically abusing people. It often occurs in (and “as”) more subtle or less obvious forms that people do not perceive as what is involving violence. Conformity, remaining in a mold that you were programmed to be in, indifference, and imitation are indicative of violence. Many lick the boots of authority, stay trapped in narrow, separative views about being a superior race, country, or religious group. Many of these things tend to separate people socially, religiously, globally, psychologically and otherwise… and are (whether we like to admit it or not) forms of violence, conflict. Many of us worship authority and power, the people with a lot of money and influence, and many of us ignore the person who is bereft of much intelligence and financial success. Many of us are ruthlessly competitive, which is a form of violence (that we were miseducated to accept and think is normal and wonderful)… while real compassion, much cooperation, and holistic awareness (in the classroom) are still rarely touched upon.
Educating children in a run-of-the-mill, standard, ordinary fashion is a form of violence. Cramming 30 kids in a stale classroom and indoctrinating them to conform to a lemming-like existence, to be slaves and victims of comparison, competition, and separative views, is violence.
Mindlessly doing things that pollute the environment, without deeply considering the consequences or trying to alter one’s behavior, are forms of violence. One can go on and on, further upsetting people about the forms of violence that they contribute to (or that they may be involved in). What about violence ending? Merely trying to control violence may not be a full, prudent answer to ending violence. Psychologically, the controller is not really separate from the controlled. A broken, miseducated, limited mind, trying to control violence, will only go so far… to a very limited extent. It will operate within (and “as”) the confinements of its limitation. For violence to fundamentally end, the mind must go beyond its conditioning and limitations; it cannot likely do that if it comfortably remains circumscribed by the limitation of others. Most people, of course, will just not care about this. Limitation, imitation, and mere conformity seem to be the norm.
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Very well said Tom…i agree with you here…violence of any form is unacceptable and should never be tolerated.
I am from a country where people admire and respect you if you have the money and power and where justice is denied mostly to the poor and helpless.
A rich convict can ang may get in and out of the jail to “visit” a sick relative or a dead parent; but when a poor convict requests for the same, the court denies
Thank you, Mich. 🙂
Even the Tibetans have their hierarchies of power and prestige, not $-oriented but still similar in many respects. Most people just do not look beyond the mold that they were brought up in. I remember, when i was very young in grade school, the teacher wanted us to each cut a paper kite. Each student’s kite would be placed on a bulletin board (only rising to the level of the multiplication tables that they had learned). Back then i said, “I am not going to compete with my friends.” I refused to learn multiplication until i was assured that my progress was not compared with others on a competitive chart. One, back then, thought, “How wrong of the teacher!” 🙂
I remember the first time that I understood the pain of the violence I unwittingly inflicted a loved one. The pain I felt was unreal but it woke me up to the reality that each of my actions and non-actions may inadvertently cause harm to someone. Yet I never equated the harm done with violence. Much to reflect. Thanks, Tom.
Well, words are limited, in and of themselves. The word is not the thing. The word horse is not the horse. Violence is a bit of a strong term; it does have a lot of negative connotations to it. All language is limited/limiting.
Harming others (including animal life forms) is less likely to occur when one sees holistically, beyond self and “others.” We all can benefit by perceiving beyond separation and conflict. 🙂
“Educating children in a run-of-the-mill, standard, ordinary fashion is a form of violence. Cramming 30 kids in a stale classroom and indoctrinating them to conform to a lemming-like existence, to be slaves and victims of comparison, competition, and separative views, is violence.”
I love this fresh perspective on this! Reading these words was inspiring for me; seeing that not all violence has to be physical.
Thank you, Jaya. 🙂
I’ve been to wonderful nature-centered, alternative schools where there were only around 8 kids to a classroom (as a maximum, as it should be). They didn’t merely stay crammed indoors doing paperwork. They made solar panels, grew organic vegetables, and got their hands dirty doing all kinds of interesting, wonderful things. Today’s public and parochial schools are largely an abomination.
Oh, very nice! When it is nice and small, there is so much room for connection!
Proper education goes way beyond the smallness of the group of students in a classroom. Teachers with dynamic, wise, and insightful minds are needed; such teachers would not merely mold students to fit into a corrupt society. Such teachers are few and far between.
The skipper’s a perfect illustration for this post. Children should be skippers, not sloggers!
Thank you, Linda! 🙂 What they do to children in many schools, these days, is abuse (plain and simple). We can do far better for students (if we really care).
True justice cannot come from mere humans. The society that we live in is controlled by a lover of violence. 1st john 5:19. Once he’s done away with will we see a better world. Matthew 6:9-10. http://www.jw.org
The U.S. and many other countries are currently in the control, unfortunately, of lovers of violence, separation, and discrimination. (I’m, personally, not too fond of relying heavily upon Bible comments, since over long periods of time, distortions to the original happen all too readily. The earlier, more pristine, Gospel of Thomas, for instance, was rejected by the hierarchical — power-hungry — Roman Bishops.)
I am in agreement with you here Tom, such amazing words & quite thought provoking. I certainly believe we educate our children in a terrible way.
Yes, it a reflection of a real lack of deep love. We so easily send them to the wolves. I sure the hell wouldn’t want my kids to be trained to be unfeeling marionettes.