Chapter 1
What struck me in this chapter is the idea that we need to clear away a lot of our modern obsession with the details of violence to look at:
What is violence?
How can we stop it?
Its interesting that the popular science view of our nature has become stuck in the story of 50’s reductionist science that is itself grounded in old Newtonian and pseudo Darwinian ideas that we are inherently and solely violent and competitive.
At the same time our popular culture has become stuck in, and obsessed with, this old story. I think this is because, when we lack meaning and a new story which says that “Nonviolence is the unique and defining human endowment”; then life seems worthless and so violence becomes fascinating, exciting and seems to offer a type of meaning.
This is turn feeds back because when we see violence in our science and entertainment, then we expect it to be everywhere and when we see the world a certain way, we help to bring it about.
I love the idea that anything we can do to reduce violence anywhere, ultimately reduces violence everywhere. This is so hopeful.
It’s also interesting to note that the success of the resistance to the August coup in Russia, shows that even a small amount of nonviolence training in a small proportion of people, can offer huge protection to the population at large.
Paul B
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