Another Post-It Note

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” -Isaac Asimov

Known for being the godfather of cool sci-fi novels (which do exist, btw), Asimov was actually a pretty brilliant guy.

Violence is more than just an act of physical aggression. Its a perception that the other person is deserving of that physical aggression. Its an assertion that the other person is worth less than the aggressor. You wouldn’t commit atrocities or minor insults against a peer- but if someone is less than a peer, well, the rules change. 

Whether i view myself as superior or another as inferior, the result is the same: an uneven playing field where i have the advantage. Violence is more than a single act. Violence is any law, system or way of thinking which says the playing field isn’t level- physical, emotional and mental repercussions are just the next logical step.

You hurt me, i hurt you, you respond in kind, i respond and up the ante… there’s no solution in that. You become the scapegoat of my divine wrath- the ultimate holier-than-thou. Violence is the ignorant, unimaginative, pre-historic, incompetent response to a difficulty.

The post-it note is at my desk to remind of that throughout the day- and rather than angst and confusion, to respond in grace and peace.

Protest chant heard on the picket line outside the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.                                                                                                                Lenny w/ a bullhorn: “What do we want?!”                                                  Union members: “Fair and equitable treatment with appropriate benefits and pay incresaes on a sliding scale over the next three years!”                                                                                                                                Lenny: “When do we want it?!”                                                                            Union members: “Within a reasonable timeframe- given a logical time table as determined by the representatives of both the Union and the Company!”

Filed under: Attitude, Church History, Interdisciplinary Action, Philosophical-Possibly Theological , 3 laws, asimov, lenny leonard, scapegoat mechanism, violence