Tao of Non-Violence!

Violence is a killer! Sometimes silent, sometimes not.

Many a times we are tempted under certain situations and under spell of anger to loose control and resort to violence.
Shouting is violence! Getting rough and manhandling is Violence!
Hurting someone directly/indirectly is violence!
Dark thoughts of hurting someone/hating/revenge is violence.

Why is violence bad and harmful?
Under the above situations, when you loose temper and thereby control, let the situation get out of hand, direct harm is loss incurred thereby. Go through the newspapers, you will find people taking extreme harms to themselves and others upto the limit of even killing others in a bout of anger and violent thoughts. Many a school/public shooting sprees, scuffles and murders over issues so frivolous and minute amounting a few harsh words or few rupees.
Even in social interactions, violence or angry words are like the only arrow in your quiver, shoot them you have lost the arrow and the battle.
Even the greatest war of all times in history of Mahabharata was seeded by unthoughtful words of Draupadi," A blind man's son is also blind!"
Similarily the other great war of Ram and Ravana was seeded by angry Laxman's cutting off the nose of Ravan's sister 'Shurpnakha'. Even the scuffles/conflicts in your colony or neighborhood mostly are over microscopic issues and violent thoughts.
Under spell of anger/Violence, instead of responding, we react. Response is the action after thought. By responding appropriately, you can turn obstacles into opportunities, losses into gains and most importantly, enemies into friends and allies. We all have experienced the above at one time or other. Everyone repents about certain times of past, when he flared up and lost all on stake, and goes into the thought process of, "I am a fool. I should not have ...."
Acting violently, opportunities are lost. Battles are lost. Friends, allies and family are alientaed.
Besides the above direct losses, there are indirect but deep losses as well.
The biggest loss is harm done to your mind and body by your own anger and violent thoughts. In a bout of anger, every time you are taken dangerously close to the brink of major failure of mind/body mechanism, and life is shortened significantly.
By remaining in the loop of anger, reaction, harm, counter-harm, attack, counterattack and violence clouded mind, the mind will remain bound and talking of all of else like freedom, happiness and awakening is worthless.
Even a temporary victory won by hate and violence will be self defeating eventually.
Revenge is never right, whatever be the justification made to oneself. You remain in the loop of karma forever this way. Like Christ said," A buzzard can beget only a buzzard, violence can beget only violence."
Courage is not required for violence, it is a reaction of body. Courage is required for forgiving, and admitting once in a while that yes you can also be at fault, and truth and solution can me met midway.

Buddha said,
"In those who harbor such thoughts as, "He abused me, he struck me, he overcame me, he robbed me," hatred never ceases.

In those who do not harbor such thoughts, hatred will cease.

Hatred never ceases through hatred in this world; through nonviolence it comes to an end.

Some do not think that all of us here one day will die; if they did, their dissension would cease at once.

One should give up anger, and renounce pride.

Let a man overcome anger by loving kindness; let him overcome evil by good; let him overcome miserliness with generosity; let him overcome lies with truth.

One should speak the truth, not succumbing to anger.

There is none in the world who is blameless.

One should guard oneself against misdeeds caused by speech. Let him practice restraint of speech. Let him practice virtue with his mind.

The wise who control their body, speech, and mind are indeed well-controlled."

However, atrocities are to be stood upto and blocked with courage, moral strength, polite rebuffs short of tempers lost, without falling into the loop discussed above. This indeed is very difficult, walking into the razor's edge, requires great self control and patience and one may fail to do so once in a while. Still, this always is the right way, and it will never fail, like it hasn't in past.
Now for ways to control violence inside, besides the above, please also read my posts on Anger, relationships, Ego, worry and pain.
It can be done. It will be done once you decide so. Initiate and divinity will be the guide. Even your reaching this page and reading these words is by the divine will and ordainment of destiny. Move forth. Let violence be your greatest victory upon.
The betterment of the individual, the society, the nation and the world is all in in the acceptance of non-violence of thoughts, words and actions by the individual as the way of living, as the Tao.
Non-violence is Tao! Non violence in Thought, words and actions is The Tao of the life, peace, happiness and awakening!