Good food for thought in this post. Humans do certainly have a tendency for violence in their base, unconscious nature. Raising lots of tiny humans has shown me that many of us work through it as children, even as toddlers, if the environment is set up to teach reasoning and alternatives to violence. Of course, if the childhood is full of violence or harm or a lack of conscious understanding, then the tendency for violence just grows and becomes the norm for an individual to express themselves, whether as a tactic to exert control over a situation or as a lack of control over negative emotions. Then, of course, there's desparation, which can break anyone...and let's not forget the entertainment industry that bombards us with images of violence as a solution to life's problems and at this point often glorifies the villains, or erases the line between being a good guy and a bad guy.
My understanding of Japanese culture has such an emphasis on politeness, composure, and a lack of emotion being displayed, that I can understand there are individuals who completely crack under that kind of pressure. I absolutely love many things about Japan, but allowing oneself to express feelings honestly and openly (in a healthy way, of course) keeps a person from getting to the point of explosion.
As for Jamaica, literally generations of desperation and oppression combine to create a society that sees no other option than to forcibly take what one needs, because it's never going to be given freely. Which is really sad for me to think about, because ultimately there is such a beauty and abundance in Jamaica, it could certainly be sculpted to be Eden if only human ugliness didn't get in the way.
Thanks for stimulating my brain this morning with something other than the teenagers in my house! Much love!!