Who Provokes Violence

People who have never seen real violence
often provoke it.

They raise their voices,
make threats,
show aggression easily.

They believe it’s a game.

But those who have experienced real violence—
whether they carried it out,
or barely survived it—
tend to avoid it.

They know how quickly the stakes climb,
how permanent the consequences can be.
They know the price of war.

That’s why the man who shouts
is rarely dangerous.

And the man who stays quiet
is often the one who carries the greatest weight.

Strength doesn’t announce itself.
It doesn’t provoke destruction.
It prefers restraint.

-Yanni