The way of violence or nonviolence is an individual choice that we as humans, deal with everyday. Today, it seems that we deal with it in just about every aspect of our lives. However, every person choose his or her way of action based on her or his beliefs or perspectives about violence and nonviolence. In this essay I will explain my personal beliefs about violence and nonviolence and compare them. Also I would write about a dialogue with my friend who has different opinions from mine about violence and nonviolence. Most of us tend to think of nonviolence as ineffectual, the weapon of the weak. However I personally think that the person has to be very strong in order to peacefully protest against injustice without using a physical force. Nonviolence ideology is mostly based on Gandhi's and Martin Luther King, Jr. ideas which avoid not only external violence, but also internal violence (Menno Simons College. 2012/2013, p.401). Also, I strongly believe that people can achieve what they want without being violent and aggressive the same as Gandhi and King said; moreover, nonviolent actions highlight our humanity and intellectual superiority over wild animals. We can develop the violence attitude or the attitude of peace; it is depend only on our personal choices.
In contrast to non-violence, violence it is sort of weapon that people use to get what they want by humiliating people who are physically or mentally weaker. Many people have different perspectives about the genesis of human violence, whether biological, cultural, and social; all can evoke violent behavior. I think that violence mainly comes from cultural or early childhood experiences. Cultural violence, which one of the parts of Galtung's triangle (works, Read, J. 2014, class material. Winnipeg, MB) is the prevailing attitudes and beliefs that we have been taught through our culture and community visions to be violent and aggressive.
