Ideas 1: no-violence

Due to the recent events in the US, protests, police brutality, arrests, pepper spray, etc. I found myself forced to re-analyze my own thoughts to see if I can understand it a bit more. And will try to do it as systematically, and objectively as I'm able to right now.


STEP 1:  Where do I stand now?


As for today, I'm 27 years of age and in my mind* I can't just justify engaging in any kind of violence, not physical nor verbal. Can't justify it it under any excuse either ( like as a sport/entertainment, on self defense, punishment, retaliation, etc)



* yeah, I know, there's no mind (not yet at least) there is brain, and we sometimes call mind to some functions the brain performs.


STEP 2: Why?


Makes sense, if no one is violent there's no reason to fight or hate each other and and we can just be happy.


STEP 3: When did I learn about the idea?


ghandi, dalai lama??


STEP 4: so how long does it take for an idea (once proved effective) to get implemented in our daily actions and thoughts?


Ok here's the tricky part, we all know the theory for many good ideas like this one, we know it makes sense and we should implement it. but yet we don't.

In theory we know we shouldn't smoke, drink, gamble, get stressed, be violent, etc, but yet we keep doing it.

We know we should be nice to people, eat healthy, exercise, but we don't. So what's wrong with us?

It seems it takes a long time for our brain to assimilate something we haven't learned in our childhood or or contradicts something we have learned as children.


Some ideas can't be incorporated unless some other idea is already learned. something like updating a software.

in my head at least, this non-violence idea can't run unless i had previously learned or seen the disasters that violence caused. recognizing the violent patterns in our society (understanding why I was violent) and know or at least imagine that there's another option, and then make the change. This slow process, took me something like 6 years.


STEP 5: How is this related to the violence on the occupy movement?

Well, now traveling back in time and paying a visit to the 15 old me. I would justify and engage in violent actions literally ever day.
I would think the penal system. army and police forces are a good thing. and punishment is the only option to "solve crimes".

And going back a bit further to when i was 12 and younger, i remember fighting with toy guns, army men, playing violent videogames and watching violent movies, getting beaten up and bullied at school, at home and living in a stressful, violent city where i had to watch my back constantly.

SO.. had I taken a different path along the road, I would be the one holding the baton or the pepper spray right now.

We are who we are now not just because of our upbringing, but because of a billion different variables.





I think I got caught up in my own thoughts and couldn't make the point here, the point was learning to incorporate ideas into our life and the difficult process of it. I'll follow up soon.