• Police are gunning down black men.
• Shooters are gunning down police.
• Rapists are being set free.
• Rape victims are told to keep knees together.
• Political supporters are chanting “build a wall” and punching those who disagree with their views.
• A presidential candidate calls a woman a fat pig and is being charged with raping a 13-year-old girl.
• Professional athletes are being charged with domestic violence.
• Young men and women are joining terrorist groups, killing innocent victims and then proudly justifying their hate.
• ISIS is raping young girls to impregnate them and raise their babies to become an army of rapists and murderers—and our young are joining them.
• Couples are raging at each other — calling spouses atrocious, abusive names.
• . . . and on and on.
Violence is becoming our nation’s middle name. It’s becoming our go to move when conflict arises, when we want our way or when we’re the slightest bit disgruntled — and it’s killing us—literally and figuratively. No matter how many walls we build, there will never be enough to stop the violence and keep us safe. Build a wall to keep out the Mexicans, but what about the KKK? What about the men who are raping our mothers, daughters, aunts and neighbors? What about the men who are beating their wives? Can we build a wall tall enough and wide enough to keep all the men of the world out? If one man is bad—are they all bad? If one Muslim is bad is every Muslim bad? Where do the walls stop? We will never have enough walls to ensure safety.
We are living in a violent, fearful climate. Until we stop solving violence with violence, we will forever have violence. Until we ALL take a stand against violence and hate we will ALL be at risk. Police need to stand up against their racist colleagues. Men need to take a stand condemning the violence against women committed by their male friends, family members, neighbors and fellow man. Muslims need to take a stand against violent Muslims who give the rest of Muslims a bad name. Blacks, whites, Hispanics, etc., males and females need to stand up against violence all around them and not join in it, incite it, justify it, ignore it or turn to it to answer their grievances. We ALL need to stand up to violence and we need to do so with a Grounded Powerful Strength, NOT a violent, aggressive one. A Grounded Powerful Strength is strong, non-violent, effective and powerful. We will NEVER end violence with more violence. We will NEVER protect our world by walling off part of its people. It will only be a matter of time before those walled off will be joined by other groups being walled off and so on until only the rich, privileged and powerful are the sole ones standing. Even they will be able to stand for only so long before those they’ve knocked down rise up with a furry they fueled.
Do not allow violence to become the norm in your thinking, your home, your nation or your life. Do not buy into hate and ostracism—you never know when you may be on the receiving side. Do not allow others to radicalize you, scare you or intimidate you into going down a violent path. Do not excuse violence toward you by a loved one or even toward another by a stranger. Violence begets more violence. Hate begets more hate. Do not be fooled. Don’t get lured into thinking it is acceptable in anger or otherwise. Violence will kill a nation and if we don’t wake up to this fact, we will soon become like other nations of the world, where exploding bombs are the sound to which their people go to sleep. Don’t be fooled. Violence is NOT the answer.
Challenge: Be careful how you talk about, justify, and even encourage violence in every day life. “Boys will be boys” is getting girls raped. Speaking contemptuously about gays is getting gays killed. Law enforcement treating blacks and whites differently is getting both blacks and law enforcement killed. STOP the violence—in your head, in your heart and in your life.