Reacting or Not Reacting to Violence

Exposing violence is a must for sure, but wasting precious energy and resources on a severely afflicted human being is just simply that, waste. I am under the belief that people are unable to change, we can change surface aspects about ourselves on certain levels, but our blue or fine print is exactly that, imprinted, and this is something from outta this world.

You might find it beneficial initially to try and help the severely afflicted, but you would end up just going around and round in circles like watching a dog chase it's tail, not really achieving anything in the long run, except a knowing that at least you tried.

I don't believe mentally violent and sexually violent sick people can ever be healed, and if they are, the healing eventually wears off. I have come up with a kinder resolution that is for the greater good of ALL. A graceful and peaceful ending to their never ending torment.

edited by SF staff

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Astralyra

Exposing violence is a must for sure, but wasting precious energy and resources on a severely afflicted human being is just simply that, waste. I am under the belief that people are unable to change, we can change surface aspects about ourselves on certain levels, but our blue or fine print is exactly that, imprinted, and this is something from outta this world.

Yea... the whole life path thing is a bit complex, but change is multifaceted thing... which for the sake of simplicity I break into three basic componants

Individual change
Systemic change
Generational change

You might find it beneficial initially to try and help the severely afflicted, but you would end up just going around and round in circles like watching a dog chase it's tail, not really achieving anything in the long run, except a knowing that at least you tried.

That applies to individual change and there's important things to consider. The individual has to want to change and they have to give permission before assistance. Then, they have to be empowered to find their own pathway toward change and empowerment in itself is pretty tricky. That goes back to your earlier statement about being unable... er ... then empowered to.

edited by SF staff

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by livingkarma

You have to possess great strength to not give up on people as well as stamina to keep fighting for changes in the future ...

I guess that's just it, livingkarma, I don't feel I know where to begin anymore nor do I have the energy. I do well taking care of business closer to home. Thanks for your kind words.

Blackraven

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by Gem

It's not that I create the violent world or anything, It's out there and from the grand pooh bah to the drunk, there is war in the world. They say ignorance is bliss because our private world is far more bearable when we live in a cocoon.

Gem - I believe there is some truth to the saying 'ignorance is bliss' if we live in a cocoon. In order to do that it seems there has to be a conscious decision to ignore what goes on in the world or simply not care. I wouldn't say I don't live in a cocoon, because in many ways I do, but when I do sneak out I seem overly concerned with the state of others suffering. I do want to care, but I don't want to become consumed. I know a woman that gets neither the paper news, watches any television and doesn't listen to news on the radio. She avoids any media other than reading 'spiritual' books. She is a very pleasant and calm person, but for me I have to stay aware of what's going on in the world. I like to be informed and decide what to do with that information afterwards. But I don't think it's an all or nothing situation where you turn it all off or go mad with the madness of it all. I can live somewhere in between.

Blackraven

[Gem]

Originally Posted by blackraven

Gem - I believe there is some truth to the saying 'ignorance is bliss' if we live in a cocoon. In order to do that it seems there has to be a conscious decision to ignore what goes on in the world or simply not care. I wouldn't say I don't live in a cocoon, because in many ways I do, but when I do sneak out I seem overly concerned with the state of others suffering. I do want to care, but I don't want to become consumed. I know a woman that gets neither the paper news, watches any television and doesn't listen to news on the radio. She avoids any media other than reading 'spiritual' books. She is a very pleasant and calm person, but for me I have to stay aware of what's going on in the world. I like to be informed and decide what to do with that information afterwards. But I don't think it's an all or nothing situation where you turn it all off or go mad with the madness of it all. I can live somewhere in between.

Blackraven

Yep, most of us can basically switch it on or off at will because our personal worlds are not violent, and other people can't because they are caught up in fray in some way.

I rarely watch TV, and I read Newspapers because it's basically required that I'm up to date with socio/political affairs.

I'm probably over concerned with the suffering side of society too, and I'm dedicated to social service, but there's protection, boundaries and taking care of self involved in staying objective and not getting swept away and burnt out...

I went through that before as a street musician, I played on the night club strip and it was very abusive and violent. The whole thing got under my skin after a while, and I burned out.

Much of life was a violent environment where there's no real sense of security and safety, and no off switch.

Personal safety first and maybe sometimes it is best to turn it off for a while, like just go to Fiji and drink from a coconut or something.

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by Gem

Personal safety first and maybe sometimes it is best to turn it off for a while, like just go to Fiji and drink from a coconut or something.

I just imagined myself on a nice beach with a fresh beverage. That's inspiring me to meditate again so maybe I can get there. I don't fly so it'll have to do.

Blackraven

[IsleWalker]

Originally Posted by Gem

I always thought that people don't actually look into violence because it's a nasty bit of work, and the issue is largely ignored, so never really resolved, but if people really did look into it, violence would have a hard time surviving in society... and it's worth noting that most violence occurs behind closed doors, and most abuse or murder is perpetrated by a person the victim knows. It survives in secrecy.

Choice is complicated because people have different kinds of pressures on them, and there's ways of disempowering people... and trauma causes stress disorders which also incapacitate individuals... so choice and empowerment are partners, which means a victim has the choice to remain it or return to a violent situation, which is most often the case.

I would like to work with perpetrators of violence so as to root out the cause of violence, but they don't often seek assistence... I mean there is usually a guilt and shame involved with the anger episodes, and it's like, I'm so sorry I'll never do it again, and then, pow biff smash, and around and around it goes.

The other problem is, society isn't compassionate toward perpetrators, so it's more difficult to get funding to be used to assist violent people to break the cycle they're caught up in.

Actually, I believe it needs to be looked into more and more deeply, and turning a blind eye and taking a save the victim approach isn't really reducing the incidence of violence in society.

Gem--

Yes, I agree that people don't really like to look at violence. But the causes are (a) not simple so seem to take lots of time to really deal with and (b) often reflect back on others/society/culture as well as dysfunction in a family through generations.

I do feel that many of these issues are ones we all deal with in our "spiritual" journeys. I know I have.

The other thing that really doesn't seem right to me is the turning the blind eye to the fact that child rapists and others will be brutally raped in prison. We seem to just accept that this is OK because someone "deserves it".

Lora

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by Astralyra

Exposing violence is a must for sure, but wasting precious energy and resources on a severely afflicted human being is just simply that, waste. I am under the belief that people are unable to change, we can change surface aspects about ourselves on certain levels, but our blue or fine print is exactly that, imprinted, and this is something from outta this world.

You might find it beneficial initially to try and help the severely afflicted, but you would end up just going around and round in circles like watching a dog chase it's tail, not really achieving anything in the long run, except a knowing that at least you tried.

I don't believe mentally violent and sexually violent sick people can ever be healed, and if they are, the healing eventually wears off. I have come up with a kinder resolution that is for the greater good of ALL. A graceful and peaceful ending to their never ending torment.

Instead of warehousing the afflicted in prisons, see them on their way gracefully so that they may become healed in another dimension where the healing actually needs to take place, euthanised?

Remember I am talking about the severely afflicted here, the one's that are repeat and I mean repeat offenders.

Astralyra - It true that the prison systems are overloaded and repeat offenders are quickly put back out on the street or get a minimum sentence for good behavior only to get out and fall off the wagon. I don't know how I feel about the death penalty, but every time a new prison is built citizens are taxed to support more jails. Law-abiding citizens are the ones financially supporting the criminally insane in order to protect each other. But enough prisons can't be built fast enough because society is broken and the underprivileged are often forced into a life of poverty that drives their crimes. As for mentally ill, I won't say they are without guilt for their crimes, but mental illness can sure blur the lines as to what a person does in full conscious understanding or not. Gem makes a good point that not enough effort is put into rehabilitating and counseling criminals. I guess there is only enough resources to go around to barely work with the victims. That's where society's compassion lies.

Blackraven

Originally Posted by Gem

Yea... the whole life path thing is a bit complex, but change is multifaceted thing... which for the sake of simplicity I break into three basic componants

Individual change
Systemic change
Generational change



That applies to individual change and there's important things to consider. The individual has to want to change and they have to give permission before assistance. Then, they have to be empowered to find their own pathway toward change and empowerment in itself is pretty tricky. That goes back to your earlier statement about being unable... er ... then empowered to.



I guess there are those who are just bent out of shape and there's really not much to be done with that at all... except lock em up or kill them, or maybe give them that choice.

Hi Gem,

I think choice is taken out of the equation once the person has shown they are incapable of being humane. The problem is, is that the individual at hand does not see anything abnormal about their behaviour, or enjoys what their behaviour creates, and they will never subscribe to change, the only thing that these types of folk subscribe to is inflicting pain on others. Trying to empower someone like that is like trying to empower change on how the government conducts it's business.

We can only hope that one day sick violent people will wake up and say to themselves hey what I am doing is wrong on so many levels, lets sit quietly and do some self enquiry. It's never going to happen and I can't help but laugh because these are the types of folk that really need to embrace spirituality

Originally Posted by blackraven

Astralyra - It true that the prison systems are overloaded and repeat offenders are quickly put back out on the street or get a minimum sentence for good behavior only to get out and fall off the wagon. I don't know how I feel about the death penalty, but every time a new prison is built citizens are taxed to support more jails. Law-abiding citizens are the ones financially supporting the criminally insane in order to protect each other. But enough prisons can't be built fast enough because society is broken and the underprivileged are often forced into a life of poverty that drives their crimes. As for mentally ill, I won't say they are without guilt for their crimes, but mental illness can sure blur the lines as to what a person does in full conscious understanding or not. Gem makes a good point that not enough effort is put into rehabilitating and counseling criminals. I guess there is only enough resources to go around to barely work with the victims. That's where society's compassion lies.

Blackraven

Yep we all can only work within the boundaries of the system, regarding financial survival on earth, although many born into poverty come out at the other end and change their lives around, many take that route, but also many take the route of violence, maybe because they are bitter, I don't know.

Mental Illness these days is caused more through the abuse of drugs/alcohol. It's like a frenzy out there, a lot of weak souls.