The Domestication of Violence
The Domestication of Violence
I am Princess Celestia.
I require no introduction to many, but I do my best to keep to formality. I find that principles are very important. Such things are required when one represents a civilization.
Yes, Equestria is a country, but that label is relatively recent and rather more modest than it merits. I do not aim to diminish it - countries are wonderful things. They ensure the wellbeing and welfare of their citizens and organize public services. They allow a consensus to form among citizens and grant legitimacy in collective action. They set laws that govern unacceptable behavior.
But countries are relatively new, and do not have the depth of cultural experience to know why, beyond the textbook answer, that they do these things. They are the bedrock of polite society, but this concept did not originate spontaneously.
Countries set laws, which formalize widely-held principles among citizens. Laws provide a signpost, a clear notice that violating principles will result in punishment. Without law, justice belongs to the individual.
But we are not individuals. We belong to societies, countries, civilizations. Every soul is equal, and therefore must follow the same laws. It is the responsibility of a designated authority, then, to enforce them, to ensure equality. Otherwise, the strong would do what they were able and the weak would accept what they were forced to accept. Individuals could do whatever they wished to others with no repercussion beyond what the victim might be able.
Polite society is one where a reasonable expectation of safety and equality exists. Citizens do not expect to be attacked. Of course, monster rampages and individual instigators happen, but citizens of a polite society have only the random to guard against. They do not fear their neighbors.
A polite society has control of violence.
This does not mean conflict is extinct. It does not mean that aggression has been bred out of the citizens. It does not mean that confrontation is nonexistent. It means that violence is kept on a tight leash. It exists. It can cause harm. But - the society has domesticated it like a dog. Violence is now useful. It is no longer owned by the individual, but is now monopolized by the rule of law. It is now a consequence, a punishment for stepping outside the laws and rules. This is why militaries and police exist. It is why I am the leader of Equestria.
Before was chaos. The pony tribes fought amongst themselves and with other creatures. My sister and I fought to establish safety, to allow society to form. We fought those who would tear it down. I fought her when she was possessed by Nightmare Moon.
For more than one thousand years, Equestria has been stable. There have been battles, but none that lasted longer than days at the most. Every monster and every villain was defeated. Society was safe.
For millennia, consequences have been enforced for wrongdoing. I have ensured it.
Violence is not the first response. Even back when, it did not spontaneously begin. As society has advanced, violence becomes further and further from the mind. We have nonleathal weapons. We have spells. We have strategies to deescalate and make friends. And we have violence. It is an option. It is always an option. But civilization has given us other choices, other resolutions to conflict before violence is invoked.
I do not imply that the peace Equestria enjoys is built upon a foundation of restrained violence. We are not a civilization of leashed wolves.
But we do not tolerate violence upon us.
There have been attempts by others to enforce their own power over ponies. But none recently. Not anymore.
When faced with constant strife, we collectively decided that the problem should be solved. Of course, not so simple a problem as basic arithmetic, but a circumstance that still required a solution.
I am not the leader of Equestria by election.
I am the champion of Equestria because of the power I wield.
Power can be used for many things. It can punish enemies. It can reward friends. It is useful. It is helpful. It is comforting. It is frightening.
It is violence.
There is some debate regarding my relative power. The avatar of the Sun is certainly a great power. Perhaps the greatest currently alive. I do not dwell on it, for there is something I value more. I have been given many gifts, but the one for which I am most grateful is restraint.
This was not always the case.
Equestria was not always the peaceful land it is today. I was not always the ruler I am at present. Enemies were not always impotent and easily dissuaded.
It required much effort to build what we have today. Others saw our rise as a threat to themselves. They knew we could fight, that we were powerful. But power gave us other options than violence. We were able to extend a helping hoof instead of a sword. We could have fought others to eliminate their threat to us. Instead, we made alliances.
Words on a treaty document mean little. Actions taken in support of friends mean everything. Friendships are forged. Being a friend doesn't mean being the same. It doesn't mean agreeing on everything. Our allies have their own countries and their own sovereignty.
The laws of Equestria are not the laws of elsewhere. Some laws are universal. Some are local. I enforce the laws of Equestria. You may do as you wish outside our borders - however, short of atrocity. Your country is your business, but life is the responsibility of all.
Equestria made its own laws from widely-held principles. You may protest that I have no right to dictate your morals, no place in setting boundaries outside Equestria.
I acknowledge that there is no ultimate arbiter, no impartial decider with the power to judge all civilizations, and more importantly, enforce right from wrong. We must all work out conflicts between ourselves. You may set your own principles and I will abide by mine.
But know this: there is always a choice in how a disagreement will be decided. You and I have many options for resolving conflict.
Violence is always an option.