We are so quick to praise the use of force to control people. And to “attempt” to force nature under our control. It is in Nature that the futility of our attempts at control seems to manifest most powerfully. People are more easily controlled.
Mass peer pressure makes the job of the oppressor much easier. We oppress ourselves. Our minds suppress what we know, in our hearts, we are truly capable of becoming.
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” -Albert Einstein
But, when this mass hypnotization doesn’t work, and throngs of people seem to be getting out of hand, we don’t hesitate to step in and exercise control through force. The belief that people can be controlled by force alone is a dangerous one.
Force only creates friction. Friction, when it builds enough heat, leads to fire. Fire leads to destruction, both of ourselves and of this beautiful planet we are so blessed to inhabit.
Of course, we must be aware of the difference between necessary force and excessive force. In select cases, it’s necessary to be forceful, especially when staying true to your healthy beliefs.
When you know something in your heart, sometimes the world challenges that belief with a steady dose of people who think quite differently.
This can be frustrating, and it can easily lead to conflict. It’s not easy, after all, to remain civil and sharing strong points when discussing an issue with someone that lands very far on the other side of the fence.
When we begin to hone in on healthier, more sustainable ways of living, these ideas must be shared. But it can be difficult to continue to share if you constantly meet resistance from your audience.
It makes you feel as though it’s easier to be quiet and go about your business than to waste your time trying to help or educate those around you, no matter how much they’ve done for you in the past and how much you still care for them now.
It’s not always the loudest hammer that has the most impact. Sometimes the most gentle swimmer causes the most lasting, powerful waves. Those splashing around loudly on the surface create only annoying ripples.
Waves are built from much more depth, much more substance, and with much more concerted energy. Lasting impact does not require the most force, just as patching a leaky dam doesn’t simply require more concrete.
Our issue, when we believe ourselves to be absolutely correct, is the belief that, simply by shouting the loudest, our viewpoint will be accepted. The loudest person in a room is usually thought of as the most obnoxious, not the most correct.
Excessive force, both with our words and our actions, can be very detrimental, not only to anyone we come in contact with during these fits but also to ourselves, chiefly.
Men only require force to be controlled if they are uneducated, and thus, cannot be trusted to make a heartfelt, rational decision on their own. By neglecting the importance of global, “equal education” we have created a citizenry that’s nearly impossible to control without force.
But the answer to this issue is not simply “more” force. I think we must all realize that turning the “force machine” more-on will only make us morons. We cannot succeed in this path.
A solution lies in a population of individuals that trust the collective. Fear of the collective requires the individual to secure everything, and anything, the individual might need to survive on his or her own. In a collective that breeds trust, the individual can be counted on to do his or her part.
And can also rely on his or her neighbor to do theirs as well. When we cannot trust our neighbor, when those seeds of doubt begin to creep in, then we lose sight of our common connection to that neighbor.
We start to view that neighbor as someone that’s been responsible for our undoing, and we treat that neighbor with resentment and hostility. People that act from the feelings of resentment and hostility harbored within may need to be controlled with force.
But we need people willing to act with love and compassion, even when these generous acts aren’t rewarded with a desirable response from the recipient.
It can be tough to continue to love those that seem unwilling to accept your love. Then again, I suppose, even love can’t be forced.
“I was not designed to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.” -Henry David Thoreau