Rethinking Violence

“Violence is not merely killing another. It is violence when we use a sharp word, when we make a gesture to brush away a person, when we obey because there is fear.”
— Jiddu Krishnamurti

Understanding the Violence Integrative Prevention and Restoration (PAR) Model requires moving beyond the traditional views about violence and into a wholly new framework. At the core of that framework is the PAR Model's definition of violence as a thought-borne pathogen that presents as any action resulting from:

1. An intention to do harm; and/or
2. Attempts to gain inappropriate power and control for self-serving gain which results in harm.

Common Characteristics

By examining some of the common characteristics of violence, you can begin to shift your understanding of violence, its precursors and outcomes. Some common characteristics of violence are:

1. It is infectious, due in part to the loss of power and control by victims. A common reaction is to respond to violent episodes with violence (“profane” or “sacred”).
2. It is self-replicating. Because of its infectious nature, violence drives more violence. Scapegoating and mob behavior are examples where violence infects those who have not been the direct recipients of violence themselves.
3. We are “acclimated” to violence; numbed, tolerant, and unaware. This allows violence to spread rapidly.
4. It is addictive. Although toxic, it can create an addiction which has its roots in power, control, and the need for stimulation.
5. It is often characterized by denial and lack of accountability on the part of the players on the “drama triangle” (persecutor, victim, rescuer).
6. It is fed by social systems including government modeling (violence as an effective strategy in response to crime and international relations), media (violent entertainment), prevailing negative cultural beliefs (bigotry, stereotyping, scapegoating), ethics (greed, avarice, exploitation, etc.), and the definition of heroic behavior.
7. It is seductive by nature – it invites more violence, even from those who abhor it (for example, the Oklahoma City bombing which in turn drives the state-sanctioned killing of Timothy McVeigh).
8. It can result in a variety of presentation complaints ranging from the mild to the fatal — depression, paranoia, PTSD, headaches, bruises, puncture wounds, fractures, hearing degradation, digestive ailments, fetal injury, gun shot trauma, death.
9. It is preventable, using many of the same public health strategies used in increasing seat-belt and bicycle helmet usage and decreasing cigarette usage and chemical dependency.
10. It is widespread — presenting in epidemic proportions.

Compassion as a Consequence

As one is immersed in this new approach, one notices that blame, disgust, indignation, vengeance, and the experience of powerlessness begin to fade. Often, solutions to prevention and intervention challenges appear as immediate and obvious manifestations of the process of seeing violence clearly through the lens of the PAR Model.

My concern has been that the traditional punitive approach to dealing with violence is not only ineffective, it actually aggravates the condition. Since violence arises from an experience of power deprivation, taking power away via punishment increases the deprivation In short, punitive response are themselves forms of violence.

In my discussions with those applying the PAR Model, one of the most common observations is that the practitioners feel a strong sense of compassion for all those impacted by violence, including the person expressing the symptoms of the disease. Compassion is a significant source of healthy power for both the person expressing it and the one who is the object of the caring. One is left with the realization that one of the most effective tools in eradicating violence is unleashing relentless compassion.