What the Violent Believe

All people who carry out violence believe three things.

1. That their cause is just. This is true whether the violence happens in the course of a committing a crime, seeking revenge, or committing political violence. By implication, the cause or reason for being of the other always is seen as unjust.

2. That violence is necessary because the situation or problem will never be solved any other way. It is the ultimate act of hopelessness and a failure of imagination, fortitude, and effort.

3. In the case of political violence the belief is that the elimination of the person or group they see as the source of the problem will make it go away or at least diminish it, not realizing there are deeper forces at  work that can't be transformed through violence. This also applies indirectly to all acts of violence.