The Cycle of Violence

Violence breeds violence; and retaliation only fuels the cycle of violence. There is a point where violence is necessary, yes, but if it continues past its purpose, then it really hasn't served its purpose. To stop someone like Hitler, or to end something like genocide takes violence, but afterwards what is left? For a society so ravaged by hate and killing like Rwanda, to continue down that path would be its own destruction. The question is, how do we move on? 

I've been reading a memoir by a man from Rwanda--he fled the country before the genocide, but returned to help rebuild the country--and in his work post-genocide, he came into contact with the mayor of his town who was in one of the prisons Sebarenzi visited. The man was known to have been involved in instigating the killings, but denied it. Sebarenzi gave the man some money for food because he saw what deplorable conditions the prisoners were living in. He says:

It wasn't a heroic gesture. I wasn't trying to prove a point or demonstrate a holier-than-thou piety. In truth, I didn't really think about it at all. I saw another human being in need and offered help--nothing more, nothing less. I knew that regardless of what he had done, I had to help him. I knew that my behavior could not be dictated by his.

He didn't choose compassion, it just happened. But I wish so many more could take his example, myself included. How we act speaks volumes about our character, especially in a situation where the obvious choice seems to be hate.

When it comes down to it, we're all human.

The Right Conditions

Everyone knows that Hitler was an evil guy who killed 6-million Jews, but not everyone knows what was going on in Germany before his rise to power that created the perfect opportunity for Hitler and World War II. Weimar Germany was in a state of total financial crisis and was looking for a scapegoat. There was a long history of violence against Jews before Hitler ever arrived on the political scene. He told people what they wanted to hear... and he followed through, too.

This came up in conversation with a couple of ladies at work recently, one of whom is originally from Britain. She's been following closely what's been happening with the election there and she was telling me that because of the influx of immigrants (and the social stress that's causing) and the financial crisis, plus a charistmatic leader that the conditions are ripe for another Hitler-type leader. The question is, have we learned anything from history?

All it takes is the right conditions, for enough people to look the other way. How often do we stand up to a bully (our own or someone else's)? It's so much easier to 'go with the flow' than to take a stand, but it's not what will stop a bully ...or violence for that matter.