Resisting Violence

As with many inborn drives we possess, resistance is futile. Whether it be our sex drive or our need for food or anything we can take to excess and so damage us, if the drive is there, it’s there.

We all have a propensity for violence. It is a part of who we are as humans. We carry this propensity within out genes and it is always available to us, when ever our world starts to crumble around us. I am, of course, not writing an article that advocates violence here. My intention is the opposite. But nor am I suggesting that anyone should (internally) resist their inner urges to violence either.

The common misconception is that we somehow need to suppress these urges – to build up a shield against them, deny them, ignore them or even cut them out. Religious fundamentalists sometimes take this notion one step further by labelling whole parts of ourselves as “evil”, making us guilty for the very thoughts that exist in our head. The ongoing trickle of stories around child abuse at the hands of Catholic priests gives us some idea as to the efficacy of such a mindset.

The real path to non violence is to acknowledge the violent nature of an aspect of yourself. Know that you have it in you and, when it stirs within, recognize it for what it is. Recognise every part of yourself for who you are and as you do this over and over, you will gain greater and greater ability to just “be” with yourself – the good bits and bad. It is all about paying attention to yourself and not denying anything.

That’s why yoga and meditation techniques can be such powerful tools in dealing with strong impulses such as this. They help you feel the mosaic within, rather than hide from it. In fact, their potential is such that a series of prisons in India are using it as part of their inmate programme, one in which regular practise can count towards early release. Inmates in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh will have up to 15 days taken off their sentences for every three months that they do yoga.

Since the start of the program significant positive behavioral progress has been made; the ambience in the prisons is improving as the anger and violence levels show signs of subsiding.

Such results can be attainable via any number of a variety of meditation techniques. It is not always easy or, indeed, fun but facing the pain that underlies our aggression is one of the best ways to deal with it and, what’s more, it’s available to everyone right now.