The Bad and Good of Innate Violence
“With violence, as with so many other concerns, human nature is the problem, but human nature is also the solution.” -Steven Pinker
Human nature is a broad topic that is both worthy of, and interesting to dissect. Violence is innate of human nature and can be both good and bad. With wars going on over religion and various belief systems; all the way to social behaviours that are frowned upon. Violence has been; a sport, way to survive, way to defend what is ours, and the use (even abuse) of power to dominate societies. But, who decides what is good or bad? Who are the “right” ones? Violence good or bad, is objectively part of who we are as living beings.
Human nature at its root is our innate habits. By this I mean it is a natural part of who we are as humans. Take for example the fight or flight response to stress. This is predated in history as well as in our daily lives in the present. If someone is in your “space” it makes you uncomfortable. you are going to react as such. It is in my opinion that you have the right to be comfortable, happy and stand up for yourself if you are not. Humans, both women and men have always relied on their natural instincts to survive. As a process of natural selection, we have survived because of our ability to adapt. This meant to; find food, hunt, gather and find shelter- finding where they felt they were safe. This brings me back to the idea that they relied on their innate human instincts; fight or flight to defend themselves from predators and ultimately survive.
Survival and the right to protect what is ours is in a sense how violence can be considered good. Everyone has a right to be safe. It is in our nature to want to protect what is ours and help others who may be perfect strangers or people close to us. If someone is hurting us, causing harm or discomfort it is acceptable in my opinion to resort to defense. It is through this that we stand up for causes we believe in and even go as far as trying to fight for other people’s rights through a potentially violent measure. An example of this is war. More specifically, peacekeeping missions across the world. But there is a line. Though we want to stand up for what “we” believe to be right; what we consider to be “right” may not be what the beliefs of others are. In this situation, it raises the question: is it our place? Defense is not the same thing as resorting to violence for other reasons.
Violence can be also a bad thing in many ways. Some people are unable to express themselves and lash out as a result of emotion which in our society it is seen as inappropriate and punishable behaviour by law. Whether physically or verbally violent behaviour hurts. It can leave permanent damage or things that take a long time to heal from. Consider my prior example of war; is imposing our beliefs really our fight? Who are we to say what is wrong in places that are not our own? Every society has its own set of rules, regulations and laws to govern behaviours. If we kill one person in our society it is seen as punishable or can be explained away but killing three hundred people in a day as an act of war or just pure violence is in my opinion wrong no matter the reason. However subjectively you see it, violence can be good or bad.
Ultimately, societies form a sense of government, hierarchy, law, or someone who decides what is good or bad. We have various outlets that we use that promote violence, not so much in a healthy fashion but without people physically getting hurt. For example, video games, or martial arts. We also have outlets for emotions and pain like; counseling, or the gym for working out. Violence is not collectively good or bad but serves both sides. From the beginning of time violence has been a way to survive natural selection and here we are! Thriving and still fighting over the right way to be and what to believe. So whether good or bad; violence serves as a survival instinct that is a natural part of who we are as human beings.
Bibliography
Brainy Quote. (2011–2016). Violence Quotes. Retrieved January 21, 2016, from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/violence.html
