Taking a stand against violence is much like taking a stand against water falling–once a set of conditions are met, water will by force fall as by force violence will occur. To stop violence we must preclude the conditions of violence. These conditions can include the human heart (which Jesus addressed) and it can include external factors–like the violence arising from self-defense.
All violence has structural roots, whether within the brain or within the environment. The key objective is to encourage, design, and implement structures that will preclude violence. Perceptually, this means seeing oneself as included rather than excluded. Perceived isolation is the root of all violence as the American Revolution demonstrates.
Thus, like it or not, we must all become inclusively-driven structural engineers. This is a fundamental ethical requirement and the essential precondition of peace at any level.
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