Thoughts about violence
People are hurting. There is a lot of pain in the world: Hunger. Lack of hope. Domestic violence. Abuse. Bullying. There are people struggling with mental health daily, afraid of reaching out and seeking help because of the negative stigma it entails in society (still).
All of these people who hurt or that feel like there is no justice in the world, that there is no hope for them and their struggles... they tend to fall into aggression and violence. And this might apply from a little boy who bullies his classmates in school because at home, he is being hit by his father... to powerful people in strong governments who decide to continue persuing war and violence as a way to feel a little bit more powerful, more rich, more important.
The world is hurting. People feel empty inside and want to feel a little bit more whole with power, money or fame. They seek outside what must be worked for within. And when they get what they thought they wanted, and realize that no matter what they get, it will never be enough, they lash out and hurt others around them. People might feel better for a while, once they get what the fought for... but that feeling goes away. And because they are NOT really working on their own sense of self and the lack that they perceive within themselves, fear prevails. Hurt prevails. And that, in turn, opens up the door for more hurting and more violence.
It is my hope (and firm belief) that some actionable ways for advocating nonviolence would be to educate youth about not being violent to THEMSELVES. Sometimes, our dark thoughts and the pain from the past might end up poisoning us and motivating us to cause pain to others. We need to be self aware about why we are hurting. We need to be honest to ourselves. We need to help youth develop socio-emotional skills so that they can tune in with what is hurting them, REALLY hurting them (be it because of something they experienced or because of an irrational fear of being a failure or not being good enough) and we need to empower them to realize that, in place of hurting others, stomping on others, trying to make others feel less... they can rise. They can be kind. They can become wise and guide others. They can take another stance. A stance that gives them hope. That promotes peace. That will help this cycle of violence begin to fade and become a thing of the past, for the sake of future generations.
All of these people who hurt or that feel like there is no justice in the world, that there is no hope for them and their struggles... they tend to fall into aggression and violence. And this might apply from a little boy who bullies his classmates in school because at home, he is being hit by his father... to powerful people in strong governments who decide to continue persuing war and violence as a way to feel a little bit more powerful, more rich, more important.
The world is hurting. People feel empty inside and want to feel a little bit more whole with power, money or fame. They seek outside what must be worked for within. And when they get what they thought they wanted, and realize that no matter what they get, it will never be enough, they lash out and hurt others around them. People might feel better for a while, once they get what the fought for... but that feeling goes away. And because they are NOT really working on their own sense of self and the lack that they perceive within themselves, fear prevails. Hurt prevails. And that, in turn, opens up the door for more hurting and more violence.
It is my hope (and firm belief) that some actionable ways for advocating nonviolence would be to educate youth about not being violent to THEMSELVES. Sometimes, our dark thoughts and the pain from the past might end up poisoning us and motivating us to cause pain to others. We need to be self aware about why we are hurting. We need to be honest to ourselves. We need to help youth develop socio-emotional skills so that they can tune in with what is hurting them, REALLY hurting them (be it because of something they experienced or because of an irrational fear of being a failure or not being good enough) and we need to empower them to realize that, in place of hurting others, stomping on others, trying to make others feel less... they can rise. They can be kind. They can become wise and guide others. They can take another stance. A stance that gives them hope. That promotes peace. That will help this cycle of violence begin to fade and become a thing of the past, for the sake of future generations.