The” broken system” mentioned by many people in reference to our society speaks to a society that romanticizes violence. Films, music, and television have made anti-heroes out of violent men. Poverty, drugs, and alcohol have provided the fuel for angry tempers that play out in violent crimes. The human condition finds a duality of personalities in each and every person in our society in which a struggle or conflict rages between good and evil, i.e., “Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Our society in American is on a downward spiral of progressively greater and greater violence, The rate and severity of violence appears to be multiplying and increasing in scope and breath daily. Is our democracy and peaceful way of life on a path of violent self destruction? . If we remain silent, our lives and our children’s lives will be swallowed up by the darkness of violence. We cannot continue to choose to be silent about the societal narrative that speaks to the use of violence to stem violence .
Our conscience must ask us: ” Is the use of violence as a method for revenge, aggression, and retaliation right?
Consider this: violence begets the very thing that it attempts to destroy, instead of diminishing evil, it multiples it. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, : Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate.”
Briefly, darkness can not drive out darkness, only the light of love and understanding can do it.
Such an idea flies in the face of being culturally unacceptable and makes for unsafe politics and unpopularity. Regardless the cost, as a society, we have a choice! We must realize that nonviolence is not the answer for overcoming oppression and violence, we must choose to speak out against violence as a remedy. Our future hangs on its wings.
In order to evolve as a peaceful society, we must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one that is right! As parents, we can impact the minds of our children with words of understanding and rational thought to help them to better understand the complexity of our world and its conflicting values. Such a narrative begins with you and your ideas regarding the question of violence. While you search your heart and mind for the answers, consider Gandhi’s words, : Non-violence does not admit of running away from danger and leaving dear ones unprotected.” He expressed that non-violence is an active force of the highest order. It is the soul force or the power of God within us.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
