Rules of Gold
- Toward a Radical
Transcendence of The Current Dilemma
First Posted March 2011
One of the most urgent, essential, and difficult
questions facing humanity is how to fight or oppose something
without becoming it. How do we fight terrorism without becoming
terrorists? How do we fight war without starting a war? How do we fight hate
without hating? How do we fight disease without catching the disease we are
fighting? How do we oppose close-minded ‘haters’ without hating them, and
becoming close-minded?
This really happened...In my local
church recently we had a visitor. She was "not like us." She was not
nearly as tolerant or open minded as those in the congregation. I heard 3
people say that "she just isn't open minded enough to be here, and wouldn't it
be better if she did not come back??!?
Maybe we need a sign over the church
door..."Open only to those who are as open minded and loving as we are.
All others, stay away!"
Do you see what I mean? How do we
get out of this bottomless pit of misery?
Let’s summarize The Current Dilemma with the following tiny
dialogue:
- “People need to be open, loving, and accepting of
differences.”
- “But there are many people who are not open, loving
and accepting like we are.”
- “Those close-minded, hate-filled people must be
opposed and eliminated.”
How can I be open and accepting of that which
is closed and hateful? It’s quite easy to say, “Oh, just love
them…” or “All things are possible….” But what, specifically, are we to do?
What, indeed, can tangibly be done to keep from renewing the perpetual cycles of
hate & war?
The following is offered as an outline of those specific
steps which can lead us out of the dilemma. This is
only a beginning. I would love to get your feedback.
- Reveal / expose / open
/ communicate. Information!
Data! Knowledge! These are the raw tools that we must assemble in order to
do our work. Not just 2nd or 3rd hand material, but
as close to the actual source as we can get.
-
Do everything you can to
experience people, doctrines, texts and histories in context.
Something may, indeed, look and be wanting on your scale of love & peace.
However, this does not mean that, in its contextual origin, it is not a
great expression of love. (For example, a sacred document from 1500 years
ago can seem quite bigoted and misanthropic in today’s context; that does
not mean, however, that it was not a huge leap forward in human evolution,
for its time.)
What’s more, there are always reasons for things & attitudes being
what they are. Always. That does not of necessity excuse an
improper reaction, but that context is an essential part of the information,
data & knowledge required in #1 above. (For example, today’s terrorist is
almost always the result of some previous terrorism.)
-
As we discover data (#1) and
context (#2) we are gaining the key components to genuine love &
transcendence: Empathy and Compassion. This grants us the Divine Gift of
being able to feel what others feel, and to know why. We
are more
than walking a mile in their shoes, we are literally living for a time in
their own hearts and minds.
-
With this Empathy &
Compassion (#3) we can, hopefully, at least for a moment, avoid assigning
negative motivations to someone. Instinctually our reptilian brain assumes
the worst. We must overcome this biological reaction if we are to make any
progress at all.
-
Recognize that genuine evil
is very, very rare. By “genuine evil” I mean intentional acts that one
knows to be wrong, but are taken anyway. The overwhelming majority of human
acts are from an attitude of goodness, no matter how twisted. This
means that most of the terrorists, murderers and war mongers commit their
atrocities because they think, ultimately, they are doing good.
-
Take the high road, at all
times, at all costs. No book burning, or ass-wiping with sacred texts, or
pissing in holy water. These, and an endless parade of like-minded
obscenities, only exacerbate the problems, and can never bring healing. It
boils down to
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, pure and simple.
-
No violence. Ever.
Period. That is precisely what we are trying to do here, break the cycle of
war and retribution. In the midst of conflict, every act of violence is
simultaneously justifiable retribution and unprovoked
aggression. Violence of any kind, in any form, will serve only to breed a
new generation of terrorists, who had their home bombed when they were
young, who will grow to demand themselves and others take action…and on & on
& on & on it goes…
And that includes violence of the heart. Hatred is just one step
removed from bloodshed.
-
Be consistent. Avoid
hypocrisy like the plague. We must judge ourselves with the same
morals we apply to others. If killing 3,000 innocent people is horrible and
inexcusable (and it is) then killing 600,000 innocent people is likewise
horrible and inexcusable. This is the heart of Jesus’ “Do unto others as
you would have them do unto you” and “Do not judge until you are ready to be
judged.”
-
Transcend partisanship. A
partisan see only their part of an issue. A partisan forms a
party to resist and oppose all who are not in their party. This, in its
most condensed form, is the essence of all human problems. If a partisan
does XYZ, it is understandable and good. If the partisan’s “opponent” does
the identical XYZ, it is unforgivably evil. Partisanship is the heart &
soul of hypocrisy.
A partisan sees only a part. Love requires unity, which is
one-ness, which is inclusive, which means that no part of the whole
can be excluded.
Partisanship is the essence of I-Me-My, the heart of ego, the core of evil.
You cannot fight partisanship by using your part of the “good”
to fight their part of the “bad.” True love goes beyond all of that,
sees both sides as equally hurt, equally to blame, equally needing healing.
Even if “they” are evil partisans, you cannot clean the world of that evil
by opposing it with your partisanship!
-
In this way, transcending
partisanship, you jump “out of the box,” focusing on the whole, both “sides”
at the same time. You no longer see parties, but hurting human
beings. Your heart & mind no longer participate in the particular
wars and battles that plague mankind. You have an overview of the whole
system, the one-ness of totality which is the heart of love. You see “both”
“sides” as being aspects of the same thing.
In the realm of the hypocritical partisans, the heads & tails of the coin
are forever at odds, despising the other for their almost-identical acts &
attitudes. When you jump out of the system, you can see the coin in its
totality, needing a bit of polish on both sides.
-
Be aware of the bad,
but focus on the good. When we spend our time looking only for a
person’s / religion’s / people’s “bad” sides, then we are in the
partisanship wars and a part of the problem. When we focus on the
good, then the inherent goodness of all becomes the essence of how we see
them, and the evil is the bit of varnish that needs polishing. Otherwise
the exclusive focusing on evil causes us to identify the other as
evil, and the perpetual wars are perpetually being perpetuated.
Which is to say, in another way, be aware of the differences, but
focus on the similarities.
-
Live the change you want to
see. Sick of “lowlife scum?” Take the high road. Tired of war? Be at
peace. When the “other guy” makes you suicidal, identify yourself with the
whole, and as you go beyond the
perspectives of partisanship, you will find a
reason to live.
Living the change means we always take the highroad, always express love,
and are constantly ready to forgive. Let it go.
“Yes, but what if I’M ready to let the past go, but that other scum
isn’t??!?”
Please see #1………
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