Human Violence
Thomas James Elliott
As a small and relatively weak person I tend to avoid violence whenever possible but I do see the need for it. In fact violence is an incredibly important part of human existence. It was fundamental in our evolution and instrumental in making the world the way it is today. Everything from the way our skulls evolved to take a beating from a human fist to mankind’s noble quest into space was shaped by human violence. Violence has also been used many times for the wrong reasons or with bad intentions. This does not make violence evil, it just makes it a force to be used.
People who say violence is evil or wrong are for the most part incorrect. Violence is not evil but a tool which can be used for both good and evil. Violence can be used to do great harm but it can also be used to stand up for the innocent or defend a noble ideal. It allows tyrants to rise to power and rebellions to bring those tyrants down. Violence itself is not something that can be judged as it is simply an action taken by an individual usually in desperation as violence is often a last resort. What makes violence good or evil is its outcome. If it is used by someone desperately trying to defend themselves or by an army fighting for the greater good it is seen as a positive. If it is used by a murder, a rapist or a genocidal lunatic bent on global conquest it is seen as a negative. Conversely, violence is often used when it is unnecessary or another system could have been used. Violence is the first tool we go for when we have a problem as it is often perceived to be the easiest solution. Violence has its place but if another tool could be used it should be.
The thing violence does best is force change. After every great conflict is a period of great change. After world war two technology sky rocketed quite literally in fact. Now while this change is not always good it usually works out for us in the long run. Often society tumbles backwards into a time of great hardship but eventually we do recover usually stronger than we were before. Sometimes society and the world in general need a “restart” to advance any further. This has already happened many times throughout history the best example would be the dark ages after the Roman Empire fell. While we had some trouble for a while we eventually regained our footing and began the renaissance quickly propelling humanity higher than it had ever been before.
Violence is also one of the things that makes us human. It gives us that determination and stubbornness that defines us and allows us to keep fighting long after we should have given up. Sheer determination is often what got our species through hard and dangerous times. This determination is what gave our species the edge over all the others and allowed us to become the most dominant species on the planet. Although violence is not the only thing that makes us human in fact it’s not even the most important. Many other factors contribute to our humanness including compassion and intellect. Violence has its place in humanity but without the other balancing factors it is just a mindless instinct.
Even though I vouch for violence and think it has its uses it is, by no means, a good thing. In fact its time of usefulness is about to come to an end. Our species is getting closer to becoming unified and I believe one day we will eventually evolve past our ancient reliance on violence entirely. The fact that we are currently living in the safest period of time in human history makes me believe that day is coming soon. I believe that if we don’t destroy ourselves we could have world-wide peace if not in my lifetime possibly my children’s or at the very least my grandchildren’s. One day I hope we get to look back upon our past and see how irrational we were. One day we will set aside violence as a tool and unite as one to begin our great journey into the stars.
