On Violence

Why do people act? Ultimately, to remove felt uneasiness. This is the basic need behind every other need that human life (at least) entails. When the means to achieve this end aren’t available for peaceful acquisition, people will employ violence. People will employ violence. I repeat that for effect. Ideas and ideologies are not and cannot be violent. Only people, and individual people at that, are violent or can be violent. The cause of violence is the desire to remove felt uneasiness that it is currently believed can only be achieved through the use of violence. What sorts of things cause felt uneasiness of which most people are likely to judge can only be removed with violent action? Think about it, and let me know. And that’s today’s two cents.

Skyler.

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Founder and editor of Everything-Voluntary.com and UnschoolingDads.com, Skyler is a husband and unschooling father of three beautiful children. His writings include the column series “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” and “One Improved Unit,” and blog series “Two Cents“. Skyler also wrote the books No Hitting! and Toward a Free Society, and edited the books Everything Voluntary and Unschooling Dads. You can hear Skyler chatting away on his podcasts, Everything Voluntary and Thinking & Doing.