Violence

[Native spirit]

I have to agree with post 41 by Starman totally


Namaste

[dream jo]

It is all over the world it's even bad in the UK now the amount of times I've been demanded to my give cash to go the cash machine to get changed so I can give a beggars money and I've got I just say no I've got no money on my card but overly in case I get attacked one day but I live there's been a few people being murdered not nice for their loved ones but violence is all over the world at all to do with greed and drugs and a lot more going on

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Starman

Gem, I think the term violent or violence can be used in many ways, as whether or not something is violent or not is sometimes subjective. A person may think they were violently attacked when others may not think it was a violent attack at all. In my opinion it is the impact which determines whether something was violent or not and that impact is subjective.

I do volunteer work with hardcore combat veterans who have been exposed to and involved in a lot of violence but most of them don’t see it as violence. People can become calloused to violence to a point that it becomes normalized. It used to be acceptable, and legal, to physically beat your wife and children, but today that is considered domestic violence. So the evolution of how we use words, and how we view violence, have changed over time.

If you use it in many ways, no one really knows what you mean (the word become more meaningless). I use it where malicious physical attacks are concerned, and no one is disputing if that is or isn't. Thus it's quite plain to see how the issue of subjectivity is a direct result of the initial ambiguity.

If we are still talking about violence, which I can't be sure about because what you mean by violence could be anything from childbirth to genocide, but I'm talking about physical assaults characterised by malice, power, anger, revenge etc, there are degrees from mild to extremes, but in my whole life which includes the company of violent men, no one disagrees about what is or isn't violent because the meaning of that word is very specific. Another exception is combat sports, but everyone accepts that is violence, even where no abuse took place, because it is essentially men attacking each other physically.

For that reason I don't believe that vets in normalised violent environments have any problem distinguishing between what is and isn't violent, but their perception of degrees could be different. I think it's because you use the word in a very vague way, and pretty much anyone would be saying to you, um... that's not violence.

[Starman]

Gem, in more than 40-years of working in the health and human services field, including teaching college level behavior science classes, no one, except for you, have disputed my use of the word violence.

I feel what you are talking about is aggression and there is a difference between violence and aggression. The dictionary definition says that violence can be physical or psychological. I understand that there is common usage and there is the term “violence” as used by healthcare professionals.

Psychiatrists and psychologists I have worked with over the decades have used the word violence in a similar way as I have. I respect that you have a limited use of the word to only mean physical attack, but I do not, so lets leave it at that.

[Redchic12]

I have to agree with Starman.

[Starman]

Violent childbirth also called a difficult childbirth can result in “maternal mortality.” I have delivered babies and have seen violent childbirth. Lots of women have died from complex pregnancies which required aggressive intervention.

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-...ame-so-complex

Psychological violence, also called psychological or emotional abuse, may result in psychological trauma. Psychological or emotional violence can be more traumatic then physical violence.

Violence on a person, in my opinion, can be perpetrated on a person in many different ways, physical or otherwise. Back in the 1980‘s when the term “domestic violence“ was emerging in the U.S. lots of people thought there was no such thing because prior to that beating your wife and children were socially acceptable.

A former U.S. President, who was accused of raping his wife, said “you can‘t rape your wife.” The thinking back then was that women were obligated to have sex with their husband. It was called “a wife’s duty.“ The way which we have viewed violence has changed over the centuries. I believe that becoming sensitive to violence in all of its forms helps us to become more compassionate towards victims of violence in all of its forms.

[Starman]

In general violence against women has not been considered violence for many, many centuries, and even today in lots of countries around the world females are treated as less than males, and are subject to random violence without any support from the society where they live. Largely due to religious views or just because men thought adult women needed to be treated and punished like they were misbehaving children.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

It seems violence has always existed. I suspect the reason why we are not aware of it so much is because we don't 'look for'.

That's right. Violence is all around us, it was made to give you the stuff you have and what you eat. Even more so when we eat certain things. To claim our place in this world requires violence. To eat that animal is harmful. To get that job over someone else can be harmful to that other person, for all you know it was his/her 10th time in a row being turned down and said person can't pay the bill and self deletes. Even simply disagreeing, arguing, really anything that comes out of people's mouth already carries the seed of destruction. It's all the same... except difference is the size of things. It's just that..... there are many tiny tiny seeds, but they are still seeds. It is like anger.. it's not just about beating someone else, it is also in those little seconds of frustration.

It's a difficult pill to swallow. Every being in this world is contributing to this endless charade. We cannot stop that. However, we have the capacity to reduce our impact. But, this glass is half empty.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Altair

Violence is all around us, it was made to give you the stuff you have and what you eat. .

How many of us are entertained by watching violence on TV?
I suspect we are so use to it we don't realize what affects it has on us. Can you imagine watching shows were violence and its various 'natures' are not mentioned/shown?

[Starman]

I agree about violence in movies and on T.V., as well as in video games. It is largely considered by lots of people to be entertaining and I don’t think people realize the impact of watching violence, even if fictional, has on their consciousness.

In many societies authorities have tried to humanize violence; i.e. a more humane way to kill people or animals. Millions of animals are put to death in what those who do it may call “in a humane way with little pain.” Nonetheless, it is still violence.

Societies that have capital punishment for those they consider criminals, have moved from hangings, beheadings, and torture, although some still practice such, to what they may consider more humane or painless ways of killing a person.

Although in my opinion It is still violence, and I think it is done in what they call “humane” to ease their own conscience about killing. I would say that competition is everywhere, as Miss Hepburn previously pointed out in this thread about roots under a tree or plant. But competition carried to the extreme can be violent.

I feel like there is a competition for God in this world; who, or which group, has the right perspective of life or God. An wars have been fought over that competition. In my opinion competition may have some benefits but violence does not. The perpetrator of violence harms themselves, hardens their heart and consciousness, even if they are unaware of it.