Can violence EVER be a good thing?............................

Reading the latest post of Has to be me along with some of the comments, got me to thinking. Her post is about the recent bombings in Mumbia, and one of the comments refers to the actions President Bush has taken in response to the violent actions of other countries. Where is your line regarding when it is okay to respond to violence with violence?

One thing that has ALWAYS bothered me was when I witnessed (or in the moment slipped and did so myself) an adult say to a child, "Don't hit!" At the same time they are reaching out to slap a hand/ bottom/ etc... Definitely sending the wrong message with that behavior. And yet I have also cringed to see a youngster slapping his parent over and over repeatedly, and while fending the blows the parent is repeating in a calm (how do they do that?) voice, "Now ______, Use your words..... It isn't nice to hit someone." It might not be nice, but kiddo would probably agree it sure does feel good to be on the giving side rather than the receiving side. Do mom and dad really think all the other two and three year olds are going to politely say, "Use your word.....blah, blah..... to hit someone."? So what is the right answer to that one folks?

I personally, having been on the receiving end of hitting more times than was good for me, tried to strike a balance and save the physical contact for dangerous situations that called for an immediate message. "Yup! It might hurt when I paddle your butt because you were running into traffic, but it would hurt a lot more to get hit by a truck. You're just gonna have to trust me on this one until you are a bit older and have better understanding." Some things one doesn't get a second chance or a do/over, so the message has to be sure and get through the first time.

I try and stay far far away from discussing politics. I vote in every election, from small local ones to big presidential elections. I believe it is one of the rights our those before us have fought so hard to defend. I will even go out on a limb here and say I did NOT vote for President Bush, and I personally disagree with many of his actions. The problem with thinking someone else could do a better job than he is doing, is that NONE of us really know the entire story/events behind his or any other president/leaders actions. I believe we know what they want us to know. Maybe knowing it all would compromise national security? Maybe it would simply make our leaders look bad to other countries? Maybe it is a combination of a lot of things. Most of what we do know, I would rather not have been exposed to (Can anyone say "I did not have sexual relationsons with that woman." I did vote for Clinton, and do appreciate some of what he did while in office. This in no way means I want to and/or should know about his bedroom habits or how his wife feels about his bedroom habits. Stay tuned to see if wife Hillary accepts the nomination for president. Will I vote for her? NO IDEA! But at least we already know most of the dirt they will be slinging about during her campaigning.)

Since most of us are never going to become elected officials, and therefore not be privy to the entire story, we need to take more of a grass roots approach. No matter where we live, and what form of goverment we live under, we can all chose to love one another, and pray for peace. It might seem like these simple acts are insignificant in the face of all the violence in the world, but what if each little prayer and kindness were coming together like bits of lint in the dryer vent or a rubber band ball. Each time one of us offers up love and prayer for another this positive force gets stronger and stronger until collectively we DO make a difference. It could (and I believe already is) happen, and at it's worse the expression of heart felt love and prayers will never never harm anything. From this perpective, we have nothing to lose, and the potential of everything to gain!

P.S.

It is easy to love and pray for someone/thing we care about. For one week, pick something/someone you don't like and consiously send loving prayers in that direction.