THE VIOLENCE WITHIN US

George McGurn

May 24, 2000

Violence within our society is such a major problem. And how to deal with the issue of violence is such a puzzle to us. On the one hand we know how much pain guns and knives have caused us. But for some reason we don't want to give them up. We seem to hate the pain that violence causes us. Yet we still seem to be fascinated and drawn to violence in so many forms.

Last week thousands of mothers marched in Washington demonstrating against guns and violence in our communities. At the same time the film industry was currently promoting their big blockbuster film of the summer. It is called "Gladiator." And the television promotions give you the reason they expect it to be a big hit. It looks like the big attraction in the film will be violence.

If it is filled with violent scenes do you think it will draw a small audience or a large audience?

I guess we can't blame the people who make violent films. They are in the business of making money. And the only way a film can bring in a profit is to attract a lot of people who will pay to watch the film.

And if more people will pay to watch a violent film than a peaceful film, then the movie makers are going to continue to produce films that feature violence. We get what we will pay for.

It seems like we still have that violent "gene" in us. And at one time having that capacity for violence was necessary for survival. Thousands of years ago in order to feed themselves, humans had to hunt for food. And to be a successful hunter you had to hunt and kill in order to eat.

Even a hundred years ago in the West the early Americans needed the capacity for violence. We know they had no 911 hot line to depend on in case of trouble. If they raised cattle as their livelihood they had to protect their cattle in order to survive. If someone tried to steal their cattle they had to protect their cattle with force and violence.

But now times have changed. We do have a 911 number to call if we feel we are in crisis. And we can go to the local market to buy the food we need. So we don't really need that violent "gene" to survive. Or do we?

Last week I spoke with a group of parents at one of our local schools. The director was very concerned about violence and asked me to discuss the topic of violence with the parents. After the meeting some of the parents had additional questions about violence. And as we talked one of the parents suggested that we might need to hold on to that violent "gene" within us for a while.

The parent had some interesting questions. What if someone tries to attack us in a deserted parking lot? It's too late to call 911. And we need to protect ourselves. And I guess we need to have the capacity for violence to protect our self.

What if some country attacks our country? I guess we will have to go to war to protect ourselves. And I guess we will have to pick up the gun again to defend ourselves. And to shoot that gun we will have to use the violent "gene" again.

Dealing with the issue of violence in our society is not easy. We are so aware of the pain caused by violence. And within our communities we are working toward dealing more effectively with that violence. Yet violence continues to be a major problem for all of us.

Well, I guess violence is not going to go away real soon in our communities. I know that we've taken a hard look within our communities. And we know there is too much violence there. Maybe we now need to take a hard look within our selves and address the capacity for violence that lies within ourselves.