From memory - the Buddha said something like this....

Think or act with an impure mind, and suffering will follow you, as your shadow, unshakable'

'Think or act with a pure mind, and happiness will follow you as surely as the cart follows the ox.

He was right I think, with mindfulness any one of us has the power to nullify violence by 'turning the other cheek' and stopping the cycle of violence.

The real challenge which faces us is how to deal with the global capitalist system that locks us into systems of violence, and how to neutralize or minimize what I call a sort of 'violent ripple effect' - which occurs every time we look at our mobile phones, and benefit from the conflict minerals inside!

Getting people excited about the possibility of ending violence in their personal lives is challenging enough, getting them even interested in thinking about what a non-violent system might look like is a real toughie!