This is kind of fun comparing my made-up definitions to the real deal.
The human being is perhaps unique in its ability to be intentionally violent. One's theology is immediately drawn into play at this point with regard to one's understanding of what causes naturally occurring violence; e.g. God. Another distinction may be that while natural violence can actually transform into creative construction (e.g. a volcano), violent human behavior is seldom if ever constructive. Violent human behavior is intended to destroy.
Bullies threaten physical violence to exert control over the bullied, often following through with execution of the threat just for good measure. Bullies instigate the fight or flight response in their victims and generally generate the latter because of their uninhibitedly violent demeanor. Bullies employ force, up to and including lethal, to have their way, and what I consider to be intelligent human beings are those who choose whatever means necessary to effectively remove themselves from the bully's sphere of influence.
I recollect having the wind punched out of me four or five times before becoming a teenager. Each time it was a violent expression of my attacker's great disdain for me. The threats didn't diminish until, as I said, college provided a less violent environment (there were bullies my freshman year, but liberation from public school made it much easier to avoid them). Not being educated in retaliation, I eventually realized that my most effective defense was not to run (not when you run as slowly as I do) but to think--quickly! Over time I have developed defensive behavior that I suppose could be thought of as a kind of intellectual retaliation. This strategy has been successful to the degree that I haven't been physically assaulted since high school (with the exception of in the line of duty in 1976; that will have to be another post).
The whole issue of bullying becomes more complicated when verbal and emotional assault is included, attacks that in the human context can be as devastating as physical violence. For now, let it suffice to say that there are bullies everywhere, and that our future will be shaped by the ways we choose to deal with them.
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