How do we heal the effects of violence? Rationality and Stoicism

I think this is a very important topic that is very relevant today as although the world has been getting more modern, we are still surprisingly seeing a lot of violence. I am thinking specifically of the events in the news recently about George Floyd, the African American in America that was killed last week by a police officer that knelt on his neck for 8 minutes or so, until he died. The actions of the police officer sparked protests in the streets that have led to increased violence over the ensuing days. The protests got so bad that the president threatened to send the military in to take control of the situation.

Personally, I think this level of violence is uncalled for and not the answer to this situation, neither do I think it is the answer to any situation. Violence is an emotional response, and is fundamentally irrational, as it involves physically harming another person and potentially oneself, and creating a self-propagating cycle that if left unchecked can cause a lot of destruction. Violence is the expression of strong emotion that seemingly has no other outlet, so it reaches its conclusion in a violent outburst. Rationality on the other hand is the ability to see what is actually going on, rather than what you think is going on. And there is a big difference. The problem is that all human beings are fundamentally irrational, because we are governed by our emotions, which are fleeting, but consume us in the moment; we identify with them and ‘become’ them as they arise. However we can develop our rational ‘muscle’, by exercising it frequently in our day to day activities.

By being aware in moments of chaos, noticing the trigger points, and more importantly noticing the real root of the problems at hand. As it happens, there is a philosophy called stoicism which i find to be uniquely up to the task for dealing with such instances as violence. The ‘philosopher king’, Marcus Aurelius, once the most powerful man in the World, lived a life of luxury and abundance when he ruled over the Roman Empire. Yet he lived a life of discipline, simplicity, and honor and service, as opposed to enjoyment of pleasures were easily within his reach. As a leader he actively stood as a moral leader, that was in essence to not be preoccupied and caught up by the things that are not in our control, but rather focus on those things that are in our control. In so doing we fast track our way to actual progress, in situations that if left unchecked could possibly end in violent outcomes. Thus I propose the stoic mentality as a preventative solution to violence, rather than a cure after the fact. Where the latter is concerned, I believe a more balanced approach to be in weighing the highly energetic outlet that is violence, against an equally or even more powerful positive emotion; love. Cheesy as this may seem, I do think that through this radical lens of open-mindedness, love can actually be the cure to instances that may actually occur in the first place because of the absence of love. In the same way that drought is the absence of water, and cold is the absence of warmth.

The solution to violence, in my eyes, is as opposed to more violence, the polar opposite of violence which is unquestionably, love. But beyond love, it is the ability to fully accept, understand and respect someone, despite their actions, for the greater good of all involved, which if you really think about it, is everyone. You cannot fight fire with fire, so we must learn to use opposing forces to balance out the opposite energies so that they may counterbalance each other. However, having the ability to love someone who hates you is not an easy task, and one person or the other needs to take the first step in good faith, in unconditional forgiveness, to create an empathic bond that is the cradle of a constructive relationship. Before we can love the other fully, we must be willing to forgive them, to be fully aware of the present moment, that unconditionally presents the opportunity of a blank slate in every passing moment, if we are willing to let go of our emotions, and take it. Emotion is blinding, hate, rage, when they consume a person, it is very hard to make them see things clearly as they are. Whilst, had he been aware of the emotion before it took hold of him, and taken a birds eye view, it would have been much easier to take a step back and say hold up, something is wrong here, let me intervene in the most logical way possible that doesn’t involve violence that might make the situation worse. Because emotions affect each and every one of us, as that is human nature, it is easier to accept that nobody is rational, and that because of this, we should be willing to see others as our equals, and the more we practice this rationality, the better we will get at it. Unfortunately, sometimes there are events in life which become impossible to ignore, or to ignore them would be too costly a solution. To deal with violence simply with speech may also not be an option. Wishful thinking has only ever gotten us so far, but rationality does not see its end in speech, as actions can also be taken to reflect the extension of our rational thinking. We can do this by, for example, taking initiative in identifying the presidential candidates that stand the best chance at actually representing the best interests of the people. Lobbying our friends and family about the most relevant and necessary ideas for positive change, that we can find ways to act upon in small incremental ways in our everyday lives, to produce tangible collective results in the long run.

Moreover to accelerate the healing process of violence in anticipation of its initiator, by anchoring ourselves in rationality, and in love, and to be willing to communicate the truth to others, we create a path towards love. We must be willing to accept the burden of responsibility for ourselves, not literally, but in the social actions that we take every day, in the knowledge of the implications of our actions, but also of our inactions. To do what is right, in the present moment, is infinitely more powerful than to be a passive bystander that perpetuates the action he tries to ignore. We must seek to understand the violence of man, to seek to trace it back to its underlying causes that may originate from an unanswered frustration, or an injustice unaccounted for. We are often unaware of the narratives that remain subjective truths in the minds of our neighbours, however to be willing to heal that person with the love they require to be able to have that mental paradigm shift and inner switch, to realize that there is an alternative option that does not involve violence. I think this mentality is best summed up in this quote by the Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou who famously said:

‘‘The perfect man employs his mind as a mirror; it grasps nothing; it refuses nothing; it receives, but does not keep.”
―Zhuang Zhou - 286 BC

I believe we are getting closer to the ideal world in which our actions embody the above quote. I do think that it will involve the total inclusion of all available ‘data’, which is undoubtedly increasingly becoming the norm through technological innovations like blockchains, where data can be stored securely and immutably. The use of data that is increasingly more accurate, from an analytical standpoint, allows for the making of better decisions. However the highest virtue that exists in the realm of data collection is none other than the biological system that embodies the synapses between neurons in the human brain, the collection of electrical impulses that reacts in real time to stimuli, for the greater good of the system as whole. This line of thought reminds me of the macrophage, Natural Killer cells and Phagocytes that live in our immune systems, who seemingly unbeknownst to themselves, will always follow the line of action most suitable to the good of the system, even if this means self sacrifice.

But there is a fine line between nothing left out and a complete surveillance state. I think this is a very obvious approach to living well. And because it is so obvious, many of us happen to live oblivious of the fact that the solution to our problems are right under our noses. Why does the Stoic philosophy tell us to be present and seek truth? To remind ourselves of our own mortality, in order to constructively tackle the days challenges? It is because of very obvious reality that underlies every decision and action; that actions have reactions, and that in presence we empower ourselves to not only choose the ‘right’ actions, but to live them fully now, and experience their transformative power. I know i am drifting away from the original topic of healing violence, but i think that my point here in using presence as a tool, as is purported in the stoic philosophy, is to be able to in exercising our awareness to influence those around us in order to avoid those violent situations to begin with. For rationality involves mental efficiency, and the ability to prevent certain outcomes by being mindful of their origins. In the most simple sense, it means if you make a mistake, simply learn from it and next time it won’t be repeated; it is this sort of simple logic that despite its stark contrast to reality, where as is human nature, mistakes happen repeatedly, for those that are willing to actually act on mistakes and take control of their lives, true growth lies in waiting for them.

"Say to yourself at daybreak: I shall come across the meddling busy-body, the ungrateful, the overbearing, the treacherous, the envious, and the antisocial. All this has befallen them because they cannot tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature akin to my own - not of the same blood or birth as me, but of the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can harm me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my kin, nor hate him. We were made to work together, like feet, hands, and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 2.1

Violence is the epitome of a mindset that has reached its frustrated conclusion. But as it is a mindset, and we are a species that has evolved past the likes of violent animals, and who need not be violent to obtain our desired outcomes. Far from it, with our rational mind, we can work hand and hand with our fellow brothers and sisters to help build a world where violence has no place. Where everyone has a say and there is no need for violence, as we can solve all of our problems calmly and with a rational mind. Here are some actionable stoic habits that I stumbled upon on YouTube:

that you can take advantage of to help you practice powerful habits that can help avoid violent situations, but also harbor positive mental attitude and a growth mindset in everyday life. Here’s a breakdown of the habits talked about in the video

1)Meditate daily. Detach from the real world momentarily, focusing on gratitude-like positive emotions and the value of life. “Memento mori”, when roman generals would return from great crusades, they would remind themselves of their mortality to help them keep perspective on their internal principles and the important things in life.

2)Mentally rehearse the things you want to accomplish today, the challenges you may face, and how you will overcome them. So that when you end up facing those challenges you are ready for them and calm in the midst of them.

3)Exercise daily ethical mindfulness: being present here now rather than having too much attachment to the past or future.

4)Keep an evening or weekly philosophical diary: write down what you have accomplished, done wrong (condemn the actions, not yourself), what have you missed?

5)Once in a while, look at your life from a bird’s eye view, and give yourself advice as if you were giving it to someone else. Ponder your life as if it weren’t your own, as if picturing it in the grand scheme of things. What can you improve or work on?

6)Kaizen (change for good): daily incremental improvement: find the most methodical approach to improve every day in whatever way you can.

In conclusion I think we can all benefit by practicing stoicism and rationality, not only to reduce violent instances, but to improve ourselves as individuals and in so doing create a less violent world. Thanks for reading.

Peace, dizzybee