The Psychology of Violence and the Possibility of Peace
Violence is never just an act in the moment. It is a force that carves itself into the human psyche and shapes entire societies. When a person is subjected to violence, fear, sorrow, and insecurity may follow them throughout life. Sometimes it doesn’t even stop there, through what is known as transgenerational trauma, the wounds are passed on to future generations. Children grow up with a sense of anxiety and mistrust they cannot always explain, but which nonetheless governs their lives and relationships. Thus, the legacy of violence becomes a chain binding the future to the past.
Empathy is the human capacity that can break this chain, the ability to feel and understand another person’s suffering. But when empathy disappears, when hatred takes over, people can lose all sense of judgment. The perpetrator justifies cruelty, dehumanizes the victim, and turns away from the consequences.
Why do some never choose peace?
- Power and control: War becomes a way to dominate and secure one’s position.
- Economic gains: Arms trade and resource exploitation make violence profitable for the few.
- Ideology and propaganda: Enemy images are created that make violence appear “necessary” or even “sacred.”
- Fear and trauma: Feelings of threat and humiliation can breed aggression as a defense.
- Shut-off empathy: Through dehumanization and denial, the suffering one causes is no longer seen.
These forces make some repeatedly return to war, even when peace would be the logical and truly human path.
But here lies a crucial question: why has humanity built a vast industry on war, while peace is often treated as a utopia? War is profitable for the few, but peace is fundamentally far more profitable and sustainable. Peace fosters innovation, trade, education, security, and trust. Peace builds resilient societies capable of withstanding crises. Yet some still choose war, driven by short-term profit, ideological blindness, or sheer inability to grasp what they are doing to others’ lives.
- The essence is this:
- Violence breaks down, peace builds up.
- War devours the future, peace creates the future.
- War benefits the few, peace benefits the many.
To choose peace over war is not only a moral act. It is also the most sustainable and profitable investment humanity can make – for ourselves, for our children, and for the generations to come.
Why I share this in our online magazine
I share this article here in our online magazine because it highlights the very essence of what we stand for: tolerance, coexistence, and peace. Our time is filled with voices that incite division and violence, but we want to be a voice that reminds us of something else: humanity’s capacity for empathy, connection, and responsibility toward future generations.
We believe that words can open hearts. Reflection can create awareness. Awareness can pave the way for action. To choose peace is not only a political stance, but a profoundly human direction, and we hope our texts can inspire more people to see peace not as a dream, but as a path we can build together.Naimaste!
