At some point, sadly, violence will be needed. Awareness by itself is impotent if it is not followed by action and a reorganization of societal, economic and political rules. The first step is indeed ‘expansion of consciousness’ but some step after that must be violent action. History doesn’t have an exception to that pattern. The British laughed at Ghandi but gave in to him only to save face from being succumbed by the parallel growing violent movement.