Oddbean new post about login | logout Peaceful, not harmless. Violence is natural. nostr:nevent1qqs0h2mkmesela9l8uvt9vdg9z5lk9dtxfmfpxm2dhpd7krl7ffh85gppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0qgsdxm5qs0a8kdk6aejxew9nlx074g7cnedrjeggws0sq03p4s9khmqrqsqqqqqp62w770
Violence is natural, but it's the last resort of the incompetent. As humans, we have a conscious and can more actively choose to work together. It isn't necessary for peace to exist.
Violence in this case being defined as physically harming an individual or individuals.
Violence is absolutely necessary to be carried about by the righteous to keep the evil at bay. Man is inherently sinful. No amount of people asking and hoping for world peace will prevent evil people from wanting to carry out evil acts. The point of "Be peaceful, not harmless" is for righteous individuals to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner at all times and at the same time have the capacity to exert violence, also at all times, in order to prevent evil from being carried out by evil people.
Man is inherently cooperative, understanding, and sociable; we wouldn't be around anymore if the opposite was true. It's divisive ideologies (racism, sexism, religion, statism, etc.) that make us believe otherwise. It's human nature to adapt, change, and not give in to our primal instinct of labelling "others," which ultimately is what causes us to be violent. One does not have to hope that people wake up to this reality, but can in fact show others that this is possible. Sure, it won't happen overnight, but realizing the singularity of the species is ultimately what I see as the purpose of the human condition. https://youtu.be/c1nYtX-NUsc
Is peaceful not harmless scriptural?
Peace is a state of violence in restraint. If there is no capacity for violence, there is no peace.
This is false in so many ways. It assumes we’re all the same, and we’re not. Violence is necessary at times and it’s not a resort of incompetence but a resort of defense.