“Instead of a man of peace and love, I
have become a man of violence and revenge.”
Hiawatha
Hiawatha was a legendary chieftain of the Iroquois people. Now if you did
not know, the Iroquois were Native North American people who made up a former
confederacy of six Native North American peoples, the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca,
Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora. So there you have it. Some of the questions I
want to put out in the open are: What made him so violent? Where did all the
peace go? Are we born to be violent? Frantz Fanon says that violence is nothing
else than humanity re-creating itself. Some may even argue – an argument that
carries some weight – that violence is in our nature, that we merely suppress violence
for the sake of peaceful co-existence. Think for a moment about this view… Who
do you think are the cruellest animal on this planet? Humans are!
Whatever the viewpoint in this regard, the crux of the matter is that
there is no positive aspect of living to be found in violence. Violence is in
my eyes certainly not a virtue. Maya Angelou says that she is never proud to
participate in violence but she knows that each of us must care enough for
ourselves that we can be ready and able to come to our own defence when and
wherever needed. I agree, in such cases violence as a defence may be
justifiable, but only enough to overcome the aggressor. Rather give peace the
upper hand, and if you choose to revert to violence, remember Lao-Tzu’s words:
“Violence, even well-intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself”.
So, sing along with Bill Medley:
Peace, brother, peace
Peace, brother, peace
All of my sisters
All of my brothers
Peace, peace, peace
Peace, brother, peace
All of my sisters
All of my brothers
Peace, peace, peace
I want you
To tell them to love
Everybody's got to
Love, love, love
Everybody's got to
Love, love, love
We can even hum along with Chris de Burgh’s “Where peaceful rivers flow”, or Goombay Dance Band’s “Peace on Earth”, or Modern Talking’s “Give Me Peace On Earth”, or John Lennon’s
“Give Peace a Chance”, and so I can
continue. The crux of this is that we should really opt for the peaceful option;
there where you sit in your office, filled with hatred against a colleague or
the boss; there where you drive in your car, fuming because of other road hogs;
and there where you interact with your loved ones at home. Yes, “give peace a chance, bro”, because violence
is NOT the solution.
Turning to violence or not,
requires a good dose of discretion.
If you, however, feel like
reverting to violence, rather call HALT!
There is mostly no sense in any
form of assault.
Rather follow the path of
nonaggression.
b * a
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“Instede daarvan dat ek ‘n man van vrede
en liefde is, het ek ‘n man van geweld en vergelding geword.”
Hiawatha
Hiawatha was ‘n legendariese hoofman van die Iroquois stam. Nou, as jy
nie geweet het nie, die Iroquois was Amerikaanse Indiane wie ‘n konfederasie
van ses Noord Amerikaanse Indiaan stamme opgemaak het (die Mohawk, Oneida,
Seneca, Onondaga, Cayuga, en Tuscarora). So, daar het jy dit. Nou vandag wil ek
graag die volgende paar vrae in die lug gooi. Wat sou Hiawatha so geweldadig en
vergeldend gemaak het? Waarheen het al die vrede in ons harte heen gegaan? Is
geweldadigheid ons natuur, menende, word ons so gebore of leer ons dit aan? Frantz
Fanon (‘n psigiater en politieke filosoof) meen dat geweld niks anders is as
die manier waarop die mens homself herskep nie. Sommiges argumenteer – en hierdie
argument het gronde – dat geweld in ons natuur is en dat ons dit maar net
onderdruk ter wille van vredevolle medebestaan. Dink vir ‘n oomblik hieroor na…
Wat sal dit neem om die “dier” binne jou uit te bring? Ja, skud maar jou kop,
maar wie dink jy is die mees gewelddadigste dier op hierdie planeet? Die mens is,
en die geskiedenis het dit deur en deur bewys…
Wat ookal jou seining in hierdie verband, die kruks van die saak is dat daar
niks positiefs in ‘n lewe is wat aan geweld gebonde is nie. Geweld is nie ‘n
deug nie! Maya Angelou sê dat sy nooit trots daarop is om aan enige vorm van
geweld deel te neem nie, maar sy weet dat elkeen van ons genoeg vir onsself sal
moet omgee om reg te wees om vir ons eie verdediging op te staan wanneer en
waar dit vereis word. Ek stem, as dit moet dan moet jy oorgaan na gewld, maar
dan moet jy ook net die nodige geweld toepas wat nodig is om jou opponent se
geweld te bowe te kom. Niks meer nie, en dit moet slegs die heel laaste uitweg
wees, want: Gee eerder vrede die oorhand.
Onthou altyd die woorde van Lao-Tzu: “Geweld, selfs al word dit goed bedoel,
het die manier om terug te spring op homself”.
So, kom ons sing eerder saam met Bill Medley:
Peace, brother, peace
Peace, brother, peace
All of my sisters
All of my brothers
Peace, peace, peace
Peace, brother, peace
All of my sisters
All of my brothers
Peace, peace, peace
I want you
To tell them to love
Everybody's got to
Love, love, love
Everybody's got to
Love, love, love
Wanneer jy daarmee klaar is, neurie dan saam met Chris de Burgh se “Where peaceful rivers flow”, of Goombay
Dance Band se “Peace on Earth”, of Modern
Talking se “Give Me Peace On Earth”,
of John Lennon se “Give Peace a Chance”,
en so kan ons aangaan. Die kruks is dat ons regtig moet leer om die vredevolle
weg in te slaan. Daar waar jy in jou kantoor sit en wrokgedagtes koester jeens ‘n
kollega of die baas; daar waar jy in jou kar ry en rook blaas vir padvarke; en
tuis, waar jy in interaksie met jou geliefdes is – “give peace a chance… bro” – want geweld is nie die oplossing nie…
Moenie eendag sê ek het jou
nooit gesê nie…
Wanneer dit by die
geweld-opsie kom, gebruik jou gesonde diskressie.
Gee eerder vrede ‘n kans, my
bra!
Dan sal jy nooit oor die reperkussies
van geweld, sit en kla…
b * a
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