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Is violence an essential part of life.

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I was musing on all the wars and skirmishes in the world at the moment. We all know about Ukraine and Gaza, and the fallout from those conflicts. We now have Finland wanting nuclear weapons! 

Image by Welcome to All ! ツ from Pixabay

There is also a civil war going on in Sudan, Turkey is fighting the PKK, China is threatening Taiwan, North Korea is building rockets that can carry nuclear warheads, border conflicts between Venezuela and Columbia, as well as between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Other conflicts in Africa. Military coups. In Haiti, gangs, or a gang, vowing to remove the government with violence.

That’s just a few. Then there is violence that doesn’t come from governments. Criminal gangs, football hooligans, fights outside pubs, schoolyard fights, fights with police at demonstrations, etc. Sometimes even in a sports match, it breaks down into fighting. And, of course, people love to watch a boxing or wrestling match.

In the past, people (men) fought duels over perceived wrongs.

Then of course, there’s domestic violence. 

Everywhere there seems to be people willing to hit first.

When I’ve heard interviews with football hooligans, they claim to enjoy a ‘good fight’. I’m sure some soldiers enjoy shooting the enemy. 

I looked at the animal kingdom. Violence abounds. There is a saying about ‘nature red in tooth and claw’. What do the animals fight about? Mainly food, mates and territory. And dominance, too, of course, but the dominant animal gets the food, mates and controls more territory. Controlling more territory gives him (usually him) access to more food.

Image by Chris Stenger from Pixabay

Even fish fight. Ever heard of Siamese Fighting Fish?

Image by Natthapat Aphichayananthanakul from Pixabay

I don’t think protozoa fight, but mammals, birds, crustaceans, fish and insects certainly do. Here is a picture of some stag beetles fighting.

Image by Emilian Robert Vicol from Pixabay

Even some plants ‘fight’ by producing chemicals that inhibit the growth of others close by. Dandelions, for example.

Fighting is competition in the extreme, but we don’t balk at seeing red deer fighting for dominance, or capercaillies fighting for the attention of the females.

We accept seagulls squabbling over a packet of chips, and that we must not put two male hamsters in the same cage.

Image by Ruth Archer from Pixabay

Now, we humans like to think we are ‘above’ the animals, but are we? Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan, the Falklands War are over territory.

The civil wars everywhere are over power, or, if you like, dominance.

Not so much fighting over food that I can see, though.

But men and boys still seem to think that they can fight over women and girls.

So is there any hope? 

I think there maybe, but only if people can use the brains they have to think logically, and not with their instincts.

Fingers crossed.

What do you think about this? Are you optimistic about human ability to dispense with violence? And what happens if we can’t?

19 thoughts on “Is violence an essential part of life.”

  1. Although people consider themselves more highly developed, the phenomenon of ‘fighting’ has only increased. And in my opinion that is mainly in the neocortex. If we acted more on our gut feelings and conscience, things could turn out well in the world.

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  2. I think humans are still animals, Viv, and ruled by instinct and emotions over logic. The scary thing is that fighting isn’t limited to fists, spears, and clubs anymore. Technology has taken the impact of aggression to a whole new, civilization-ending level.

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  3. Steve Pincker in the Better Angels points out how society generally has been getting more pacific on all levels but we will probably never be free of violence individually or collectively. Hopeful but not that hoepful

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  5. Hi Vivienne. Thank you for this interesting and thought provoking post.

    Firstly, I think that everyone has the right to defend themselves and their family if they come under attack. Ideally this should not be done by violence. However, if you or someone you love/care about is being threatened by a person with a knife or other weapon than you have the right to use whatever force is necessary to defend yourself and them.

    As far as Ukraine goes, I don’t think that it is just a case of a territorial dispute, although of course this is a large part of it. More significant is, in my view that Ukraine is responding to an unprovoked attack on the right of it’s people to self determination/democracy. I believe there is such a thing as a just war and Ukraine is involved in such a war. Likewise the war against the horrors of Nazism was just and necessary for the survival of civilisation.

    As Churchill once said, “jaw jaw, is better than war, war”, but there comes a time when “jaw, jaw” fails and, reluctantly war to defend civilised values becomes necessary.

    I don’t believe that one can ever wholly eliminate violence from the world. However, the spread of democracy and its defence when threatened can help to reduce violence. I don’t like the idea of nuclear weapons but I support them as a deterrent. Had Ukraine kept its nuclear weapons I think that it is highly unlikely that Russia would have risked a conflict. So the use of the nuclear deterrent can prevent violence.

    Best wishes. Kevin

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    1. It’s a difficult subject, Kevin. Yes, I agree that there are times when fighting is necessary. Like in Ukraine. But much of the fighting that is going on in the world isn’t, in my opinion. And your point about defending oneself and one’s family is valid, too.

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        1. Especially how people seem to have forgotten about extreme right wing governments in the past. I was shocked by a young man who came to do some plumbing work in our house a few weeks ago. I don’t know how it came about, but he knew nothing of the Cold War, the 4 minute warning and how leaflets were sent to every house to explain what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. Didn’t know about the Berlin Wall, either. We didn’t ask how much he knew of the Holocaust, but probably very little.

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