Article 15. The Violence Inside

We begin to dislike the violence in our self. We resolve to become a truly non-violent person and to deny violence altogether. But good intentions may not be enough to deal with such a deeply ingrained human habit. Most of us have known some violence in our past. In the study of our own habits we might be led towards a truly non-violent personality, if that’s what we really want. But it’s not as simple as shaking off one and taking on the other.
The civilisation known as the Lemurians are supposed to have detested violence. They couldn’t face it. And they died out because they tried to deny it or because they weren’t ‘dynamically’ non-violent? A world that is post holocaust, post atomic bomb, post factory farm and post animal experimentation - are we ready for it? There’s a constant tussle between two personalities within , the hard versus the soft. We have to survive in this harsh world, making money, shopping, making decisions for others .. eventually our ideals give way to pragmatism. We flirt with a little violence ... perhaps a little corporal punishment will keep the kids from running riot, a few harsh words will quieten the neighbour’s noisy music! Our ability to turn to violence is something we show when we’re cornered. Then we search through the mad-box for ways of making violence work for us. Violence is our safety valve and yet we can’t afford to acknowledge it. So this is where we’re finally forced into "double-think". Ah! Relief at last!! It’s like the unloved spouse we get married to and who we’re stuck with. We live alongside us. We have to live with it as best we can so that our personality can justify itself.