WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT: Is Violence ALWAYS Wrong?

It came to me in the most bizarre way. I'm not even sure how I found it.  While researching some music, I came across the theme from the movie, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Most of us are familiar with the movie and it's leading man, Clint Eastwood. Filmed in Spain, directed by an Italian, starring and international cast and, despite its enormous popularity, derided in its day as a Spaghetti Western, the film has finally been recognized for the masterpiece it truly is.

The direction, cinematography, acting, and, especially, the music, are the best that film-making has to offer. In my mind, the music, composed and conducted by the legendary Ennio Morricone, reaches epic proportions. Morricone manages to capture the ethos of the savage, Wild West while at the same time honoring his Italian operatic roots. The result is a sound track that is both spare and extravagant.

The rendition I was listening to was a full orchestral version by the Danish Symphony and it was spectacular - soaring, moving, and so full of drama and emotion. As strange as it sounds, it was so powerful that it actually made me cry a bit. THAT'S good music!

It also made me emotional because it conveys the embodiment of a man with so many of the traits that I admire: a virtually anonymous, indomitable free-spirit, incorruptible, alone in the pursuit of his vision of justice. He lives by his wits and his weapons. Tall, his gaze is unflinching,. He has 2, .36 caliber Navy Colt pistols strapped to his hips and a Bowie knife hidden in his boot. He is the master of his fate. He needs not fame, fortune, nor comfort - only justice. And, he is not only willing to die for honor, but to kill for it, too. He is not a perfect man - far from it. In fact, he is often taciturn, bilious and bellicose. But, at the same time, he is brave and honest. In other words, he is the classic American anti-hero.

But, the fact that I admire men that possess these qualities vexes me at the same time.

I have done my best to commit to non-violence. If we are ever to reach a higher level of consciousness, we have to evolve past the use of violence to solve our problems. We can't keep repeating the endless cycle of bloodshed. Remember, an eye for an eye simply leaves the whole world blind. However, at the same time, it is right to fight for justice and against tyranny. And, sometimes, that fight is literal - we must take arms against a sea of trouble and by opposing, end them. In my experience, the best way to stop a bully is literally to give him a taste of his own medicine, i.e. a good punch in the nose. Often, it is the only solution.

Most animals are also willing to fight for many reasons; not only for their very survival, but for dominance, territory, and breading rights, too. It is nature's way. So, is it fantasy to think that we can live in a world that is absent of ANY violence? Perhaps, it is.  Even Gandhi, one of the world's greatest proponents of non-violent revolution, said he would  prefer violence over cowardice*. In other words, at times, it is unfortunate, but may be completely unavoidable.

So, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, I suppose that it is in the application of violence that makes the difference. If we inflict pain and suffering on others willfully for reasons like rage, anger, jealousy, greed, avarice, fear, and ignorance, then we are fulfilling a self-defeating cycle where hate simply begets more hate. However, there are times when we need the Clint Eastwoods of the world, guns blazing, to send the bad guys to their doom before riding off into the sunset. . .




*https://www.mkgandhi.org/nonviolence/phil8.htm