If one believes we are essentially violent will their ever be peace?

Question

I mean if this is our core belief...

Please look at my previous question... Most responses endorse that we have to live by violence because there is no other way...

Is this essential mistrust and violence a civilizational thing... it may bring a set of people to the top... but it ensures there are others vying for that postion.

So the cycle of violence has to continue till eternity. Is this myth at root of two world wars and the much destruction that follows. I m sure some will go back to their fathers saying "Wars have always been there and they will be!!!"

If we think in terms of human community and its preservation, caring about the planet we live on...the whole model of development will be different.

Have u seen a tribal community work... untouched by outside world? It isnt exactly like a dictatorship... they have absolute free will but there is harmony... Look remote tribes like ones in Andamans who separated from the rest of us some 60,000 years ago. There are many examples of this... This is to show that violence need not be the basic principle of life. It is merely a fuc-ked up belief!

I am sorry you guys are missing my point or my language is not too good! What i am refering to here is not dispute over something and squabbles. I am refering to the belief that "HUMANS ARE ESSENTIALLY VIOLENT"!

This comparison with Animals being violent doesnt hold because they do not use it as a strategy to eliminate a group of their own kind because of hatred and belief. They kill for survival because their biology has evolved in ways that increases the chances of survival. In fact this appropriation of "Survival of the Fittest" from evolutionary theory is the greatest blunder. Violence that we are talking about is essentially different in nature.

Answer 1

Hang on I'll come back after I read your previous question.

Ok now, this is going to take me a minute to explain.

Yes Americans are a lot more pessimistic as far as the nature of humanity. While your premise makes perfect sense as to reasons, I have a completely different take on this.

I think it has to do with being raised from birth in a capitalist society. I mean seriously. For example, when you explain communism to ppl, most Americans agree it is a much more equal, fair and righteous way to live BUT they always follow up with saying, 'it will never work.' If you ask them why, they say, 'because of human nature to always want to have more based on a person valuing themself as smarter etc... more elite than others who are less intelligent, weaker or whom have made costly mistakes.'

Stay with me on this....

The reason they always come back with that statement is because they have been taught from birth to think in terms of 'self'. Capitalism teaches you that. It teaches you to take whatever you can from society. It rewards the 'haves' over the 'have nots' no matter how the 'haves't acquired their wealth. IE, 80% of the rich in the USA was inherited and not earned.

So you see, since we are taught this from birth, we live and thrive on 'self' accomplishments where the success scale is based on how much money you have.

Ok now.. still with me?

The reason this mentality results in pessimism is because most ppl, while they on the surface live this way, in the back of their minds they wish it wasn't true. They see inequalities around them everyday with the Donald Trumps, etc...

So, the average American whom has experienced the greed that is bred out of capitalism, develops a mentality of 'failure in humanity'.

Now if you ask them why they feel this way, they won't have an exact answer. Why? Because most have no clue that this is what is going on in the back of their subconscious. Most ppl lack the ability to take themselves out of what they have been taught from birth and then put themself in a different culture.. they lack the imagination and insight unfortunately.

Ok with all that said, you will never get a sense of community from a core capitalist society. That is like oil and water. Why? You have to understand that capitalism teaches competition from birth.. that everything in life is a competition and when we watch all around us breaking the rules to win over and over again, we begin to make excuses for our own corruption to win. Example, the small business owner who gives kickbacks to win a job bid.

And lastly, the violence. When a society is grown, molded, and bred around 'self' it develops a extreme level of apathy and once again.. don't forget competition...

When you combine competition with apathy what do you get? = a cruel opponent that will try to win at all cost.

PS I wish you would stop asking such meaningful questions. It takes me half an hour to answer but I can't resist. lol

Answer 2

I am 45 years old and so far I have been able to live without much violence in my personal life. Violence however is all around us especial in the news. I think that there are alot of good people and good things going on in this world unfortunately they don't make the news very often. It always seems that the violent wealthy people have the means to gain control. Corporations and counties need to meet the bottom line. Money runs everything. So because of this it will always be hard to stop violence and perserve ever depleating resources. I think the same as you I believe in community and preservation. Most of these people who violent and destroying the world have children but they are not leaving them much of a world. Makes no sense. If we don't figure out how to survive and live together then we have failed as the most dominant creature to walk this earth. I think we are capable and I don't think that everyone has violent animal urges. I don't some of us have evolved.

Answer 3

Wars:
I think that the only way to have peace is to have universal agreement. The problem is that universal agreement is an end to free thought (or simply any personal opinion).

Wars don't begin on the battlefield, they begin with an idea differing from those in power.

obviously animals do not kill out of belief, that is because animals do not have belief

Your argument that people should be a human "community": What happens if someone doesn't like the community and asks to start his own society disagreeing with your ideals? Would you let the person decide on his own and jeopardize your perfectly preserved community?
If you did let people think openly about the human community they were in, not all of them would see the same ideal. People are not identical, people have differing voices and opinions. I doubt you even agree with your sisters/brothers and you came from the same origin.

The only way to possibly preserve a Utopian society is to have united singular thought. Which is impossible because singular thought is not human.
Ultimately as long as disagreements are possible, violence is possible. Violence is an escalation of disagreement.

Survival:
All animals including humans wish to survive. Survival is to gain the essential needs of oneself in order to continue life. Before society there were not sins, ethics, and religions, there were humans surviving. If killing your competitor (another human) meant your survival was possible, you would kill your competitor. Animals also will kill competition in order to survive.

Societies are very similar. They believe that the survival of their society is necessary for the survival of the people existing in it. A threat to the society becomes a threat to the citizens and this begins a war.

Answer 4

Violence is a normal part of not only human life, but is a mainstay for all of nature. Examples:

-Male animals will fight for the right to mate with a female, and to guard their territory.

-Male lions, once they take over a Pride, will slaughter the babies and begin to make his own.

-A Female Praying Mantis and female Black Widow will kill and eat their mate after coupling

-Certain types of Ants will fight each other should they get close to each other's homes.

-Constrictor Snakes crush and kill a victim to eat.

I could go on, by my point remains solid: Nature IS violence. Human beings are simply a part of that natural order for many issues.

But the other key element is human belief. Humans are intelligent and extremely passionate beings. When we believe in something so strongly, we are willing to defend it and further it's cause without regard for others.

A perfect example is terrorism. With false beliefs that slaughtering those that do not share their view, they are willing and able to kill and hurt others. Does a suicide bomber care about the family whose father isn't coming home? Do they care about the children they hurt? The mothers they slaughter? Of course not. Because humans will always be violent.

It's not that I'm being dark and saying you're out of luck, it's a realistic viewpoint of the modern world. As long as religion, government, and society as a whole exists, we will always have a war somewhere.

The best thing we can do is to try and show mercy while others do not. We must show honor while others are sneak in shadows. We must teach our children to show understanding and intelligence rather then impulse and prejudice. Human beings will fight, but by showing tolerance of others, the wars can be kept to a minimum.

And as for tribes you were speaking of before, they are dealing with far less people then many countries of the world and normally a tribe will share the same religious ideas. The biggest driving factor in many problems we have around the world is centered around religion. If everyone in the world shared the same religion, and the same governments, and had no boarders, then maybe you'll see far less problems...but nothing totally free of crime or war.

Answer 5

Peace is nothing but a result of war - Heero Yuy Gundam Wing

Only way man will stop fighting is when man no longer exists.

History is like an endless waltz, the three beets of war, peace and revolution continue on forever." Marimea, GW-EW.

The earth is a very big place and just imagine somewhere on this beutiful world of ours two people are beating the s h i t out of eachother, and at another place someone just shot and killed another someone else. I mean universal peace, and all that not so much impossible as highly unlikely. I'm not saying there has always been wars and what not. I'm saying that conflicts, arguments, and such are just as much a part of our nature as breathing, so peace can only exist when we are reach our end cycle.

Answer 6

I do not beleive human beings are essentially violent. It is the complexity of the human brain that allows us to behave in what is, seemingly, a violent way.

Any basic instinct of a living creature is survival. Compared to the behaviors of other living creatures one could suggest that the human creature is outrageously violent and aggressive, but how do we measure what is "violent" and what is "natural"? There aren't any other creatures with the capabilites and intelligence of humans to compare us to.

I believe that human beings are, at their root, still primal beings with advanced ways of enacting our basic instincts. Our advanced tactics of aggression such as blatant murder, torture, rape, and other forms of crime are results of the complexity of the human brain - but, at their core, are still basic animal instincts, just with a very complicated twist.

Just take a look at your question my friend ... what other living creature on the planet has the ability to question it's own behaviors and have that kind of self-realization? It's this kind of intellect that is both a blessing and a curse.

Just my opinion though ....

Answer 7

Pacifism is a thanks to head notwithstanding it is going to not in any respect artwork interior people...we are all different and that is how the divine being made us. If we choose peace, people grow to be insuulted and through this becme indignant then agreessive that's a Human Trait that can not be un-performed, no remember what number of people devote to Pacifsm.... now to not wrestle less than any circumstances is incorrect....i ought to not watch my family individuals conflict through and not in any respect do something about it...it exhibits i care and that is yet another trait that people can't get replaced. sure Bodhidharma became properly to coach his clergymen kung-fu...wrestle or die...there became now regulations as you say so all of us ought to arm ourselves to look after our lifes and those that we care about Peace is a reward, as with all reward we ought to facee hardships and soreness....all which practice us to settle for...then Peace will shine by the clouds of researching. Sorry if this doesnt make finished experience im a lil drained.

Answer 8

You want world peace? Get rid of ALL religions!!! God will not be offended, because, it was not God who invented religion. It was greedy men, who did that terrible deed, in order to have power over others. More people have been killed, throughout history, by religious zealots, of all persuasions, than by any other cause. As long as we have these nutcases running our society, we will never become truely civilized, or achieve world peace.

Doc.

Answer 9

So long as anyone wants to initiate force against another for any reason there will not be peace. This includes forcing someone to give up their hard earned money (taxes), forcing someone to not put certain things in their bodies (drug laws), forcing someone to live by the ways of your religion, etc.

Answer 10

not gonna happen!! dont you see what people post here???
90% of the American people are obsessed with war and destruction and their view of the 3rd world countries as weak preys. i remember talking to this guy and he was complaining about the gas prices and ALL he cared about was when will America start getting that oil from Iraq. he didn't seem to care for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis that died..
i mean it's pathetic!