Advanced Essay #3: Is It Too Late To Change Our Ways?

In today’s media, we’re exposed to more about war and violence instead of non-violence in the world. It could be because people assume war rewards people within the U.S and they want to make sure people continue with that mindset, or it could be because violence brings in more attraction for the media. We fail to recognize the effects of war on people that experienced it and only look at the benefits for the higher parties. War gets advertised as if it’s a good thing for a person’s mental health and violence in general always gets displayed on the news. Younger people hear it in the music they listen to and older people have experienced that too. America is just a violence driven country.

A majority of Americans specifically ones in the military industrial complex perceive war as only a form of gain, and we don’t worry about the consequences we’re putting other people through. A strategy they use to bring more potential soldier in is the Army Experience Center. The center showcases the pros of wars and being within the army. They don’t necessarily speak on the hardships; when they do it’s not a lot. They have a simulation that’s like a video game. It doesn’t show too much concern about putting these men into wars to fight battles they most likely wouldn’t go to on their own free will. They’re only worried about bringing more men in to continue these wars that they love so much. They advertise the jobs and opportunities in a way that’s very interactive. It’s on a big screen that allows you to look in depth at the different position you could have within the Army. Don’t get me wrong it’s not all bad it’s actually a good way to get young men off the streets and out of bad neighborhoods but it also is aiding to a larger problem of giving too much money and devotion to the military.

I wish America could see that there’s much more beyond the violence route and maybe take a step back on being so violence driven. It’s not only the Army it’s regular cities also. My own city Philadelphia is a prime example of this; we’re one of the most dangerous cities in America depending on the neighborhood you’re in. When an area is so used to violence it’s hard for those areas to blossom out of that norm. You get an “if it isn’t broken don’t fix it feeling.” In those areas I feel like we need bigger people; people like neighborhood heroes in a sense to come out and show people that it’s not all about fighting each other and spreading positivity. If the government wasn’t so war focused maybe more jobs could be made in those low-income areas to stop the inner city violence.

There are so many alternatives to violence that people don’t tend to realize at first glance. Things like speeches, marches, and even songs of protest. No, they might not work as fast as you want them but why resort to bloodsport in exchange for a change with just a longer wait. There are plenty of websites and organizations that advocate for non-violence such as the Encyclopedia of Peaceful Societies. This website does the opposite of the Army Experience Center whereas through the shining light onto peaceful societies. A society that’s spoken on is the Amish which most of them live in the Lancaster, PA area. There a very old school society in terms where the man is the leader of the home and is supposed to be the provider. They raise their families on respect and handle any altercations within themselves and don’t make problems large scale. I feel like we could take pages from the Amish within our own neighborhoods and bring the family aspect back to communities.

A person who was a strong advocate for non-violence was Gandhi. He had a fight your enemy with love mindset. That’s something us Americans usually don’t have. Gandhi felt as though love is the only weapon a person needs in this world that we live in and that we must be stronger than the violent temptations around us. Compared to the Army Experience Center that had a good idea of getting kids off the streets to just play video games but they still were promoting violence. Shooting and war simulation video games aren't the only ones out there. In my opinion, there were different ways they could’ve gone about the situation if they wanted to get kids off the streets to just play video games or learn about the Army if they wanted to.

With everything being said there is plenty of different approaches a person or group can take to achieve their goals with non-violence. Sadly as Americans, we’re just used to violence getting what we want. We even conquered the land that we live on. If there were more Gandhi’s in the world maybe there could be a change.

Work Cited

"The Army Experience Center." The Vision Machine. Accessed May 06, 2019. http://thevisionmachine.com/2015/04/the-army-experience-center/.

"198 Methods of Nonviolent Action." Albert Einstein Institution. September 23, 2015. Accessed May 06, 2019. https://www.aeinstein.org/nonviolentaction/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action/.

"Encyclopedia of Peaceful Societies." Peaceful Societies. Accessed May 06, 2019. https://cas.uab.edu/peacefulsocieties/societies/.