“I would not look upon anger as something foreign to me that I have to fight… I have to deal with my anger with care, with love, with tenderness, with nonviolence.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace
Our entire political world reflects the profound woundedness of the present human condition. The political aspect of ourselves suffers as we suffer and no one is exempt. So, politics is wrought with narcissism, hatred, paranoia, greed, delusion and relentless division – energies affecting us all, whether or not we are directly generating them. Our political drama is also a potent vehicle for the media. Their daily money-based bid to keep us engaged, without concern for our wellbeing, keeps us stuck in a story that retains its ugly, frightening darkness, even through encouragingly bright moments.
The story remains dark and scary because it comes out of us and again, we are inseparable parts of a world that is deeply suffering. The great Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh had a word for it: Interbeing. We are all interconnected; separateness is not how things really are. Looking at our political situation, there is no them vs us; everyone suffers until no one suffers. It takes some doing to understand that fact in the heart. When we do not have that understanding, we bitterly complain, recoil and accuse, claiming the high ground, insisting that we want only peace. We find ourselves hating others because it hurts us that they hate and we often don’t catch the hypocrisy.
The most helpful thing we can think right now is this: People are not the enemy; greed, hatred and delusion are. It’s challenging to keep in mind that those who create suffering do so because they are suffering themselves. In a polluted stream, there is no clean water. Look at the whole thing as a play emerging from the suffering world, carrying the totality its pain and sadness, and affecting us all.
The conviction of being right makes it easier for us to dehumanize. If my opinion is spot on and yours is worthlessly deluded, what does that tell me about you? But no; it is necessary to protect our respect and reverence for humanity by keeping it separate from our responses to human thought and behavior. The more we can stay loving, patient and peaceful with those who see things differently, even when we strenuously disagree with them, the more our acceptance actually allows a more peaceful existence.
When we see others creating suffering, however, we are obligated to confront it, albeit with respect and compassion. As we honor people by not using their actions to assess their humanity, we must meet cruelty and greed head on with patient, open honesty. Standing up for right speech and right action requires that we speak with strong kindness, remembering that suffering generates suffering, and that hate can only be calmed by love. And yes, this is all very difficult work!!!
The following appeared in Psychology Today, a few weeks after the Gaza invasion last October:
“While the form that love takes amidst conflict is complex… an attitude of love and respect for the humanity of others has the potential to shape and limit, and perhaps …prevent violence.”
For all of our sakes, let us all please bring kindness to our political drama.
