But the way in which someone expresses these emotions is in that person’s control. Some people experience them internally, and do not do anything about them. Others find a non-violent way to express them. And some others engage in violence to express these emotions and to resolves situations to which these emotions lead them.

Choice of violence is a decision made by the individual concerned. In some cases, the decision to use violence is the end product of a thoughtful deliberation. But often, the decision is sudden, resulting from an acquired habit.

Many individuals acquire the habit of violence, in their childhood, from influences in their homes, neighborhoods, or from other role models in their social milieu.

Most of us, however, do not realize that violence does not solve any problem.

Violence may provide the perpetrator with temporary relief from tension. But it has negative consequences for the perpetrator as well as the victim.

In the perpetrator it tends to reinforce tendency to solve problems with violence. In the victim it tends to instill fear, which may motivate the victim to comply in the presence of the perpetrator.  Also, the victim may become conditioned to not respond in the desired way, until the perpetrator engages in violence.

Violence is a bad habit, and like other bad habits it can also be unlearnt.

Peace results from renunciation of violence as a method of expressing negative emotions or of resolving situation to which they lead.

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Dr. Rohila is the Executive Director of the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA). He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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