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Question of the day #3

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by genuinemommy, Sep 15, 2015.

  1. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    How do you practice nonviolence in your every day life?

    Seems like hate crimes and violence are rampant these days.
    A Sikh was recently released from a Chicago area hospital after a hate crime. Sikh man who was attacked in Darien returns home from hospital - The Doings Weekly
    And then there's all the issues with violence toward cops in the US... How Black Lives Matter was blamed for killing of US police officers - BBC News

    Yet International Peace Day (Sep. 21) is approaching. International Day of Peace, 21 September
    What do you do to advance the cause of peace in your everyday life?
     
    genuinemommy, Sep 15, 2015
    #1
  2. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    I don't punch in the mouth every person who deserves it?


    :p


    J/K


    Great question. My honest answer is to try to take a less polarized and more common sense approach to most social issues. Very rarely is either extreme a realistic solution, no matter how vocal of a minority they are.
     
    Borla, Sep 15, 2015
    #2
    • Like Like x 2
  3. ZombieSquirrel

    ZombieSquirrel Brrrrrrrains

    Location:
    Oregon by way of "Oh-hi-ya"
    I make sure my scissors are not easily accessible.....
     
    ZombieSquirrel, Sep 15, 2015
    #3
    • Like Like x 3
  4. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    I find that being with my girls gives me ample opportunities to practice patience. Currently teaching my toddler healthy mechanisms for coping with strong emotions like anger and frustration. And when she drives me bonkers, I find myself dealing with it in ways I never expected. For instance, if she refuses to do something that I need her to do, I repeat my request over and over gently until she does it. The other day it took a full 45 minutes of repetition for her to put her dish in the sink. But she did it. And no one got upset about it. And the next time I asked her to do something I only had to repeat myself 3 times. She remembered how boring it was to hear mama say "please put your dish in the sink" over and over, and didn't want to repeat the experience. It was honestly a soothing way for me to deal with it. Soothing for the baby in my arms to hear my voice, and relaxing for me to know that I was not escalating emotions - mine nor my toddler's.

    I also am a vegetarian. This dietary change completely altered the way I think and act. It made me feel more in control and less aggressive - probably because I am more careful about consuming a balanced diet in general.

    Nonviolence is something I work toward. I acknowledge that I am capable of the best and worst of humanity, so I foster the best.
     
    genuinemommy, Sep 15, 2015
    #4
  5. Japchae

    Japchae Very Tilted

    I teach children and adolescents (and their parents) to get better at solving their problems without self-aggression or aggression towards others. It works sometimes.
     
    Japchae, Sep 15, 2015
    #5
    • Like Like x 1
  6. omega

    omega Very Tilted

    I like to test people here. Some have been found...wanting.
     
    omega, Sep 15, 2015
    #6
  7. Stan

    Stan Resident Dumbass

    Location:
    Colorado
    Like Borla and Ms Squirrel, not killing my co-workers is about all I can contribute, most days.
     
    Stan, Sep 15, 2015
    #7
  8. ZombieSquirrel

    ZombieSquirrel Brrrrrrrains

    Location:
    Oregon by way of "Oh-hi-ya"
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1442352156.431264.jpg
     
    ZombieSquirrel, Sep 15, 2015
    #8
    • Like Like x 1
  9. POPEYE

    POPEYE Very Tilted

    Location:
    Tulsa
    The older I get the easier it is for me to remember my life lessons, I like to laugh and let it go. In the end everything will be ok
     
    POPEYE, Sep 15, 2015
    #9
    • Like Like x 1
  10. CinnamonGirl

    CinnamonGirl The Cheat is GROUNDED!

    Location:
    Central Republic of Where-In-The-Hell
    This one's a bit harder. I keep coming back, typing a wall of text, shaking my head, and deleting it.

    I've gotten much better at controlling my temper. I've learned to bite my lip on hateful things I want to say in the heat of the moment (and if I do say them, I've gotten past my pride and learned to apologize.) One of my favorite books when I was a teenager had a line that stuck with me: "Do no harm. Help when you can. Return good for evil." I try to make that an everyday thing.

    I don't eat meat.
    When I was younger, I had a habit of stopping fights by distracting one of the aggressors (something I'll still do, but the situation doesn't come up much anymore.)
    I've recently started learning more about Buddhism, and while I haven't thrown myself into it completely, the beliefs feel comfortable and familiar to me. I'm going to be exploring this more.
     
    CinnamonGirl, Sep 16, 2015
    #10
    • Like Like x 1
  11. tecoyah

    tecoyah Illusionary

    I avoid all the people who have shown the ability to tempt me into violence.
     
    tecoyah, Sep 16, 2015
    #11
    • Like Like x 1
  12. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    I don't mouth insults at other drivers so that they can read my lips in their rear-view mirror. Which helps me not reach for the loaded handgun I carry in the car (I love Texas' gun laws!!!). I don't run over the the kids who walk down the middle of the road using their eyes to dare me to hit them, or the girl this afternoon who walked across the busy road without bothering to check traffic, or the foul-mouthed vagrant who used to hang out at Kroger saying things that would make a inmate blush. Actually if he had gone into one of his vulgar & graphic rants in front of my wife, I would've called the police even if it meant making up something in order for him to be arrested.
     
    Chris Noyb, Sep 17, 2015
    #12
  13. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    I don't make a practise of being non-violent. I just am non-violent. I don't think about it all that much.
     
    Charlatan, Sep 23, 2015
    #13
    • Like Like x 1