Re:The single biggest gift (Score 1)

Violence is sometimes necessary. If saving someone's life, such as your own, required violence would you refuse to engage in it? Whatever your answer, I don't want my kids to hesitate to use violence if some situation calls for it.

Did your children threaten your life?
I think the difference lies in how we define "required violence". I believe that if your life is threatened, violence may be required. However I don't think you have the right to beat your children just because you have failed to gain their respect. Violence won't make them respect you. It will just make them fear you, which is not really the same thing. It demonstrates to them that the strong people rule with force and if you run out of arguments and don't think you get the respect you rightfully deserve you can always whack them.

Besides of course that in several civilized countries you are a criminal yourself.

What a ludicrous comment. If it were illegal here, I wouldn't do it here, but it still wouldn't be immoral.

Just because it may not be illegal there doesn't mean it's not immoral. The point of the "ludicrous" comment was that not only do I believe it to be highly immoral, it's also illegal in some countries. I believe it should be. As (and if) the world becomes more civilized, it will be in more places.