Stop the Violence

By Braille • Sep 4th, 2008 • Category: Artists in Residence

I’ve always been a peaceful guy. I’ve never punched anyone in the face and I’ve never been punched in the face. I got in one or two scuffles during middle school and I picked on my little brother a bit when I was younger but that’s it. I went to public school and I’m constantly in public places so my lack of fighting doesn’t come from being “sheltered.” I just never felt like I had anything to prove. If someone makes a stupid comment, it’s easy for me to shrug it off. It’s not worth fighting over.

During the month of August I had a concert in Seattle. After the show I heard some commotion across the parking lot. I looked over and two guys were fighting. One guy was really smashing the other and there were about 15 people watching. I’ve never been able to sit back and watch a fight happen. I quickly ran across the parking lot and started yelling, “Stop the fight!”. I’ve been a vocalist my whole life so I’ve got some powerful lungs, and I yelled the loudest I could. People from the crowd responded and soon both of the guys fighting were held back. All of a sudden a gunshot goes off in the air. I don’t know if this was a warning shot to break up the fight or what… but at that moment I had to leave the parking lot and go back in the venue. The altercation ended and everything dispersed.

Sometimes I think of how that fight could have resulted if it wasn’t broken up. First of all, someone had a gun. Would someone have gotten shot if the fight kept going? Second, this was a brutal fight. One guy was on his knees trying to get back on his feet while the other guy punched him in the side of the face with full force repeatedly. It didn’t look like the attack was going to slow and the guy losing was on the verge of getting knocked out and potentially seriously injured. Why was everyone just watching?

I understand the enjoyment of watching a fight. I’ve never enjoyed watching street fights but I do enjoy boxing and MMA. There is a huge difference between street fighting and the sport. In the sport, a referee stops the bout if one opponent is no longer able to “intelligently” defend themselves. There are doctors ringside to tend to injuries. In a street fight all of that goes out the window. There is no one to stop the fight, no doctors, no one to check for weapons. In the case of the fight I witnessed - there were weapons present and the situation could have potentially turned fatal at any moment.

I tell this whole story simply to say “it’s not worth it”. So many of these fights happen over stupid stuff like dirty looks, ignorant comments, and people acting arrogant. If you’re ever in a situation where your “manhood” is tested - be the bigger man and don’t participate. We all have important futures ahead of us. God has placed a value over our lives and we can’t afford to risk the fulfillment of our purpose for the sake of a meaningless brawl. Sow peace in your life and you will reap it.

I genuinely love people too much to watch anyone get beat down. No matter what someone says about me, I would never wish for them to be physically harmed. We need to teach each other to respect human life. I remember when my daughter was born, I thought to myself about how we were all babies at one point. We grow up and think we are tough but in reality we are still just as vulnerable as we were on the day we were born. The person you injure or harm in a fight is someone’s son, or brother, friend, or father. Stop the violence.

Peace, y’all.

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