Proposed by the United Nation, the International Day of Non-Violence is intended to spread awareness through education and discussion around the need for peace over violence.
It is celebrated on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi is of course a strong name in the Indian independence movement and a philosophical pioneer of non-violent strategies.
How can we discuss this in a way that helps us to reduce violence? When I did a quick Internet search on this topic, the vast majority of the articles had a theme of how to avoid violence. How to mitigate your risk of being a victim of violence. None of them really talked about how to cultivate a human being or an environment that allows for less violence.
Key motivating factors of violence:
- Growing up in a home of violence.
- Not being provided tools for your emotions when you were growing up.
- Not understanding your own strength or identifying risky thought behavior in order to mitigate your own reactions.
- Substances — themselves and the addiction.
- Crime… Often born out of needs or survival.
All things tend to boil down to how many tools we have as a person to cope with the life around us. We have to be able to navigate the difficult feelings that come along in life.
The best way to stop violence in the Western world is to raise our kids in a home that does not use violence or explosive tempers as a way to cope with disagreements or stressful situations. This is not always possible as violence in particular is a trait learned from your own childhood and your parents from theirs.
When the damage is done, so to speak, then we must give our kids (and ourselves!) Tools to help cope with those intense feelings. Dialectical or cognitive behavioral therapy are wonderful tools that you can hone at any age with the help of a therapist or counselor.
Mental health matters. Your brain is an important part of your body; treat it well.
