Non-violent living is to be fully human

By FR. SHAY CULLEN

Those of us striving to make this a more peaceful world are dismayed and saddened by news of violent acts, cruel killings and atrocities against women and children; civil war in Syria, massacres and rape in the Congo, sectarian attacks in Nigeria, guerilla attacks in Sierra Leon, and most recently, the murder of 32 protesting miners demanding higher wages in South Africa.

Each has its roots in religious conflict, social injustice, poverty, cultural differences and the lust for power and dominance. There is violence over political, sexual, environmental issues. We are the most violent species on this planet earth, why is this, and how can we work for peace?

The death squads, denounced recently by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, have killed hundreds of people in recent years; youth and children, journalists, human rights activists, priests and pastors. Does this dark side of society make the Philippines the murder capital of Asia? What’s the purpose of it, but to terrorize and control the poor in the absence of a working police and justice system?

The desire to retain political power led to the massacre of 57 persons in Maguindanao in November 2009, 32 of them journalists. The cruel beating and killing of Filipino students by fellow students may stem from a primitive desire to have power over others through a sadistic cultic hazing rite. It mimics a primitive tribal initiation and a fear-filled slavish mentality in the victims and misplaced loyalty to the tribe or fraternity.

Violence and sexual assault against children is perhaps the most difficult to understand, but lust and a problematic abusive childhood can start a cycle of abuse. What’s more disturbing is the emotional violence, hurt and pain of injustice suffered by child victims who are denied justice by corrupt prosecutors and judges who favour the violent rapist.

The horrific violence of massacres, mutilations and rape and sexual abuse is decried as beastly, animal and inhuman. Animals do not sexually abuse their off-spring or commit heinous acts; they act on instinct for survival. Humans are also animals, our DNA is 98 to 99 percent the same DNA as apes but we are still a very distinct species. We have large brains, intelligence, culture, reason, personality, speech and free will and a conscience to distinguish right from wrong. Humans have universal rights and an inner spirit and the capacity to love others without a selfish, self-serving motive. The human is capable of conceiving a power of goodness greater than itself and can have concepts of eternity which other species don’t have, as far as we know.

Yet despite these amazing developments which can, and should help humans to live and act in peaceful, non-violent dignified relationship, violent behavior persist above and beyond survival needs.

Aggression and conflict are an inherent part of human nature stemming from our primitive evolutionary origins. Many of us are striving to be “fully human” but it is too much to expect that our species will reach that mature exalted state where reason, moral conscience, non-violence and spiritual values predominate. There are only a few societies that are, with some incidents, generally non-aggressive and non-violent and practice high levels of social equality and respect for human rights and dignity. This evolutionary step to a peace-loving society has eluded most of humankind.

To integrate all the positive attributes in a holistic way may be the road to a non-violent and a peaceful society. Many people have not had the opportunity to be fully human and to absorb such attributes in a holistic manner due to lack of means, opportunity, education and the positive life experience of respect and love especially in childhood. Here are the roots of the violence we see around us daily. The domestic violence between parents and against children might be the stem of violence in society. That’s why the banning of corporal punishment of children is so important.

Violence in the home is a root of violence in society and violence in society feeds back to the home. The media accelerates the cycle by glorifying violence and likewise the gaming industry makes interactive killing on computer game into bloody entertainment.

Each of us striving for a spiritual experience of life in a peaceful community has to work to inculcate these higher values into the family, community and society as a whole. How else can there be peace and non-violence? We must be actively living the spiritual values of friendship and non-selfish service and sharing them with others.

shaycullen@preda.org