On Violence and Morality
For this writing I define Violence as the use of physical force designed to impose the sender’s will on the receiver. Common examples include bar fights, various criminal acts, war and police violence.
I abhor violence. I find it is the most primitive and least effective way of solving problems on a longer term basis. It works wonders for the short term, credit where credit is due, because an immediate conflict situation can be overcome through the adequate use of physical force. But we must wonder whether or not “adequate” can confidently replace an adjective such as “right” and “good” It is my belief that this is not always so, and certainly not in the case of Violence. Adequacy in itself is dependent on the desire of the individual and so it is entirely possible that one could, reasonably, equate adequacy to a moral superiority. The primary question then doesn’t reside at determining what is adequate but, before that, what the true desired outcome of any situation is. In order to do so we must come to a firm understanding of our own moral map because, only when we know what we feel is right, can we begin to determine confidently the course of action to the desired position/result.
My moral compass tells me to refrain from Violence because, to me, Violence is always wrong. Violence breeds traumatic experiences, humiliation, a decrease of perceived self-worth and, perhaps most prominently, more Violence. The only way to effectively remove Violence from this globe of ours is to simply not use it. Some, if not indeed most, people believe that Violence used by police and other safety professionals is a necessary evil which is applied to ensure our safety. This safety is an illusion because as long as there are people who feel authorized to use Violence safety depends only on the decisions of the one who is capable of using that physical force. We are then thus subject to the whims, choices and opinions of those who know how to apply Violence. Freedom and safety are never guaranteed to be ultimate. They are, in stead, potential temporary luxuries. There is no absolute physical safety in a world that condones and accepts violence.
I wrote earlier that I think Violence is always wrong. The more attentive and thoughtful reader must consequentially ask him/herself how literally I meant the word “always” After all, if a situation arises that is so disgusting to me that the only way to break it is through Violence, wouldn’t I use it? The answer is that I intended the use of “always” as literally as humanly possible. Regretfully this doesn’t mean that I could bring myself to refrain from Violence in all situations. In defining the most desired outcome we must use a constant distinctive process that tells us what preference stands above the other in order to, eventually, obtain a highest desire. So it is possible that, when faced with a serial killer who is intending to kill all the people I care about, I will try anything (including Violence) to stop the individual. It doesn’t make the use of Violence any better however and so my initial analysis stands. Even if I feel forced to use it, it’s still very much wrong. I have, in that case, merely selected the lesser of evils.
In this we must come to distinguish between Morality, which is Personal Judgement, and Personal Preference. I do not believe in a universal force that dictates what is right and wrong, so I must use my own innate processing to obtain that understanding (Personal Judgement) But there is another side to human decision making, that of course being Personal Preference. A high enough degree of discomfort (such as losing all the people I care about) may quite possibly override the moral call. Ideally Personal Judgement and Personal Preference overlap, they correlate positively. It is in extreme circumstances however that this cannot always be the case for me personally. In that case Personal Judgement no longer corresponds directly to my highest Personal Preference and becomes, thus, of lesser relative overall importance.
I hope I will never encounter a situation that requires of me this separation between Judgement and Preference. If I were a religious man I’d even pray for that.