Basis of Violence Dealing with Evolutionary Aspect of Human Nature - Essay Example

?Violence cannot be properly understood if it is approached as an evolutionary aspect of human nature’. Discuss The need to understand violence is such that its importance has been raised with the evolution of time. If violence has been manifested as something that has come of age with the changing times, then this is an area of concern because not many individuals would appreciate such a reckoning. It is a clear cut reality that violence is seen as something very destructive in its truest form, and does not represent the evolutionary aspect of the human beings, however, the manner under which violence has been seen with the times gone by has suggested that it would represent more significance for the coming generations and even today, than it was in the yesteryears. It is therefore pretty correct to state that violence is the basis of a number of human-related problems which have come about of age, and that too have lingered on in the longest time. What needs to be understood is the proper role of violence within the midst of human comprehension because it shall make the good and the bad souls within any society get the hang of how things shape up within violent realms. This paper discusses the basis of violence and how it is dealt within an evolutionary aspect of human nature or the lack thereof. It is important that violence is understood exactly in the way it should be done. How violence comes of age here is the fact that its repercussions are varied on the people and it is manifested in a number of different ways. What remains significant is the fact that it is something which is abhorred in essence. The element of hatred with regards to violence is because no one appreciates its incorporation within his/her life. There is immense negativity that comes in the way of violence and quite rightly so. Since the domains of violence are now being seen as elements of extreme disruption, people usually understand the related dictums more than ever. This is because violence brings about destruction and problems for all and sundry, creating a sense of negative upheaval within any society of the world where the aspect of violence is on the rise (Wrangham, 1997). How human beings decipher the notion of violence is understood differently because the people who are close to such levels believe that it is something drastic and could easily destruct the basis of not only their own lives but the ones around them as well. It is indeed an inherent feeling within the people all over the world that violence can ransack their peace, destruct the basis of their tranquility and turn their serene environments into wrath-filled zones. More than anything else, violence is something that is a definitive no-no from all sides and should always be kept at a safe distance from the lives of the commoners. Whether or not human beings are intrinsically violent in their regimes is an unsubstantiated feeling. This is because many people are of the view that there are aggressive individuals spread all around them but whether they possess the violent streak in them is something that needs to be understood in the most proper sense. Violence can be a part of an individual’s personality but it might not be a vital facet within his own domains. People are of the view that violence is usually something that creates anarchy within the society, though not in a fast-paced way. It does create anarchy of sorts because it is an element which stirs up emotions and sentiments, all of which are deemed in a negative fashion. The evolution of human beings is such that violence can affect or literally break their basis. It is something that makes them think and thus find out ways which can deal with the foundation of violence in the first place (Ferguson, 2004). There have been critical views regarding the essence of violence creeping into the different societies of the world. It is yet to be established whether or not violence is the root cause of many a problem within the national regimes, and more so in an area to area basis. This is because locals of one community might find it varied to have the incorporation of violence within their midst. They would always resent the idea of violence erupting within their folds, and would thus look at alternate ways under which this violent streak could come to an end, as this will bring about a great deal of sanity within the related ranks. There is a dire need to comprehend the fact that violence is a negative omen for many societies in the world, as these can figure out a host of problems which could be attached to them for the long term scheme of things. From an anthropological perspective, violence is something which poses as a huge threat to the basis of mankind. Humanity suffers at the hands of violence and this has been proven with the passage of time every now and then. The bomb blasts, fire outages, killings, assassinations and so on all represent the worst form of violence that man can possibly understand within his realms. The comparative study of human societies and cultures with their related developments has all shown that violence is one element that is abhorred by them with all their might and resistance that has come its way. This is because in nearly every religion and society of the world, violence is being seen as something that shakes it and makes the entire process of understanding the serenity and peace dimensions go all wrong. The role of the people who are in authority positions within such domains remains one of a significant one because they form the core ingredients of forming up societies that are free from violence and its related predicaments. More than anything else, there is also a dire requirement of understanding what is deemed as right and what is simply not acceptable within a society of the modern day and age. It is a fact that the aspect of violence is one such tenet which is not at all acceptable and a lot of resistance is faced by people from different corners of the world without any shadow of a doubt. Violence has marred different societies of the world and nearly all these events have tarnished the basis of mankind in multitude of ways. The manner in which media has represented violence remains a debatable subject. The reason for this is the discussion centering on how to go about covering violent events and activities and then report the same for the public domains. There is argument in the wake of understanding what should be propagated to the public and what must remain hidden. Proper understanding and comprehension remain a far-fetched proposition in the time and age of today, more so with the massive boom of media in the lives of the common man and woman. The media representation of violence have usually left a bad taste in the mouth – focusing on showing corpses, exhumed bodies, flames and injured souls. All this has besieged the minds of the people and often asked of them to stand up and take serious notice. Media representations of violence have become problematic with the changing times. People have started to feel the fury that has rocked mankind for so long now. They feel the tremors inside their souls and thus fall prey to the pressures exerted by the scions of media. The study of human beings from the past as well as in the present day era has suggested that violence has always been negated, kept at a safe distance from the shores of individuals and there is reason enough to believe such a premise. This is because violence excites individuals, though in a very negative fashion. It makes them feel tense, surprised in a wrong way and uncertain of who they are and what they want to achieve from life in the long run. Violence can also come about when there are important discussions centering on the facets of race, gender, class, sexuality and nationality. This is because these are significant elements that can literally bring about a downfall within the society in more ways than one (Bowen, 1996). Human beings believe that their rights are usurped by the media when the important discussions of hiding certain events are concerned. This has been made apparent by the research that has come about in full circle and has therefore suggested for the altered role of the media. Ever since the 9/11 incident took place, the world has started to shrink further. There are more reports of violence and terror since the year 2001 than ever contemplated in the history. This gives evidence to the fact that the world has started to ‘feel’ the effects of these terror activities more than ever. The violence that has erupted in the wake of this terror is something that gives one quite a fair bit of understanding as to where it is originating from. These violent activities are being given cover by the terror groups and militants who are spread in different regions of the world. The extremists also assist in propagating violence through their own mechanisms. Thus the global agenda of peace gets a nosedive under this scenario. Violence is bad for the economy, the societal issues, the business circles and the people in essence as it mars the basis of humanity in more ways than one. The media helps this violence to propagate in a very negative fashion by highlighting the ills of the society, though in a very wrong connotation. The manner in which these wrongs are highlighted is something to gain an understanding from. The need is to have a realization that people do not deserve to be shown the corpses, the blood strained bodies and bullets. What they need to be shown are the correct reports, without any biases and news that are deemed as right for the respective audiences. There must be a proper check and balance mechanism in place which looks after the rights of the media audiences, and not just the television and radio ones (Howell, 1989). The actual users or one might suggest, the customers of media have the right to know the truth but then again it is important what they actually should watch and read at the end of the day. In fact the people should have a right to have proper check and balance regimes in place which tap the media as and when it loses its focus. There needs to be more attention paid on the working domains of the media, since it does so much within the lives of the common man and woman out there. The media action societies need to stand up and get their voices heard, and that too for a number of positive reasons. Furthermore, violence changes quite a few hands before the offenders are actually brought to justice. Some people perceive the aggrieved party (at the end) as the offenders while others take the entire opposite view as the truth and reality. What the court decides is something of a dilemma, backed up with solid proofs and evidences coming to the fore. It takes time to resolve such cases of violence and barbarianism within any society but rest assured justice does happen. Violence as shown on television and documented courtesy the newspapers, magazines and the Internet is wholly different. It can even happen when an individual is unintentionally not doing a particular task but falls within the very trap of bringing about a negative change within the lives of the people. Violence is not all about bomb blasts, firing, slaughters, mass murders and so on. Violence can take place when the people least expect it to happen as well (Chagnon, 1997). The aspect of the different stakeholders coming into the fore is something that stands pretty significant. They expound on the subject of violence and try to give it unnecessary air. However this is true in most of the cases but not all of them. The different players involved try to have a scuffle when there is no need to have one. The proponents of free media see this as a step to malign media in one way or the other. They feel each and every bit should be reported as it is. The critics point out loopholes within this very theory. There is the talk of understanding the feelings and emotions of the people as well. Each and every bit needs to be carefully analyzed, studied and properly researched. All said and done, it would be fitting to state that the role of violence within the depiction of a society has been of a negative one. Time will wait for no one and people will only blame the different stakeholders which are involved in the propagation of violence if these do not pull up their socks, for the betterment of their own basis, the mankind and the society. Nearly everyone has an important role to play within such discussions and the people who are at the helm of affairs need to realize this even more. They have to get down to the basics and set the ball rolling in the forward direction. The responsibility that these people have is immense and they must make sure that they get the job done, in a very good way. If they feel they are not resourced properly, they should ask the relevant stakeholders for the same. Even the government of the time can step in and do its bit. There is no stopping anyone at all. Now is the time to make a huge difference within the lives of the masses. References Bowen J., 1996. The Myth of Global Ethnic Conflict. Journal of Democracy, 7: 3-14 Chagnon, N., 1997. Life Histories, Blood Revenge, and Warfare in a Tribal Population. In Betzig L. (ed.). Human Nature: A Critical Reader Ferguson, R., 2004. Tribal Warfare. In N. Scheper-Hughes and P. Bourgois (eds.). Violence in War and Peace: An Anthology Howell, S., 1989. To Be Angry is not to be Human, but to be Fearful Is’: Chewong Concepts of Human Nature. In S. Howell and R. Willis (ed.). Societies at Peace: Anthropological Perspectives Wrangham, R., 1997. Are Humans Inherently Violent? In Endicott K. and Welsch R. (eds.). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Anthropology Read More