I truly regret having to write this particular blog post because it deals with a personal incident that very recently affected the life of a loved one as well as my own life and the lives of other close loved ones and family members. This past Wednesday evening my younger brother was involved in an altercation with an individual that lead to my brother's stabbing. My brother is now in the intensive care unit in our home town.
I live a few hours away and with money being tight, I'm not able to drive up there to visit him in the hospital.
However, I did speak with my sister for a few brief moments tonight concerning his well being, and she brought his cell phone to him where he could call if he needed to speak with any of his family members.
I unexpectedly received a phone call from him early this morning around 1 a.m.
I'm not sure how he is managing to call while in the ICU but I was relieved to hear his voice just the same.
The incident occurred while my brother was attempting to break up a "fight" with an older individual and the assailant, what they were arguing over is unclear at the moment, however I think if communication between the parties had have been handled differently this entire incident could have possibly been prevented.
It took me a few hours to come to terms with what had happened to my brother, how he was doing what he considered the right thing stepping between two individuals in the middle of a heated discussion, but had he known about non - violent communication he might have helped both individuals come to a better understanding and not been injured as a result of attempting to play mediator.
I don't blame anyone other than the person who acted in an aggressive manner and maliciously attacked another human life, my brother's.
The assailant is in jail now without bond on charges of malicious wounding where I believe he should be for his careless, dangerous behavior.
I don't care how upset you may become with another person, the moment you pick up a weapon and try to force your ideas on others, your ideas are worthless and you have overstepped your boundaries.
On the other hand, it doesn't matter who was right or wrong, or what the argument was essentially about, what's important is that my brother is recovering safely.
I think this is as good a time as any to raise the idea of non-violent communication and how we can use it in our every day lives.
After sitting for awhile with my own thoughts about the incident, the thought of non - violent communication popped into my mind, and I considered how little I know about this topic, although I have praised the technique since I first heard of it from one of Derrick Broze's skill shares he did a few years ago in Houston, Texas.
I want to take the time now to encourage others to look into this form of communication in order to possibly resolve conflicts they may be faced with in the future, and to ignite my own continuation of studying the methods and techniques of communicating effectively with others.
I find what we may be lacking in common ground can be made more understandable and often, acceptable between various individuals if we are only willing to listen to them with an open -mind, respect their thoughts, feelings, and viewpoints.
I would also like to share a few links that I think would be helpful for anyone who is interested in non-violent communication. I am going to introduce these concepts to my brother and other family members as soon as it's feasible to do so, in hopes that they may gain some better conflict solving techniques so that if he (or they) is ever faced with such situations again he will have some idea how to steer the situation in a way that doesn't lead to violent ends.
The Center of Non - Violent Communication - https://www.cnvc.org/
Conflict Resolution and Non - Violent Communication - http://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/aboutnvc/conflictresolution.htm
Non - Violent Communication Workshop - 
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life - https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Communication-Language-Life-Changing-Relationships/dp/189200528X
The world in which we live is ever increasingly chaotic and in seeing this, I think we should place emphasis of learning how to be better peacekeepers, to communicate effectively with one another, and learning how to effectively listen.
It's not so important on who is right, who is wrong but that we learn how to get along with another, to become more compassionate human beings, to care for the Earth and all of her inhabitants. I'm calling on each of you this week to learn how to communicate more effectively by making an effort to practice nonviolent communication.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and may you have a blessed and fulfilling week.
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