There are no "others"
Ending violence means radical acceptance of our place as equals in a web of living beings that cannot survive in isolation.
As I write this on a beautiful Sunday morning, I hear news of violence in Israel. I do not pretend any expertise on the deep and ongoing conflicts of that region, nor any knowledge of solutions. What I remain convinced of, however, is that violence is never a solution. To anything. Even if self-defense is necessary, it is just that: necessary, not sufficient. Violence creates gaping holes that require additional solutions.
I’ve also been reading a novel set during the second world war, following characters who travel from Hawai’i to France to Shanghai. Beautifully written, it describes the harrowing violence spread throughout the regions that war touched in Europe and Asia. The truth is humans cannot dominate one another without dehumanizing one another.
And so if we want to end violence, we must accept the full and complex humanity of every member of our human family. There are no “others:” not based on ethnicity or culture, not based on which side of a border someone was born on, not based on religion or non-religious beliefs, not based on anything as miniscule in our DNA as our skin color, not based on gender or sexuality or ability.
Ending violence means radical acceptance of our place as equals in a web of living beings that cannot survive in isolation. Land is not “yours” or “mine,” it is the source of sustenance for all of us. Water gives life to virtually everything on this planet, pouring and flowing where it will. The air we breathe extends around the globe.
Wars of aggression, terrorist attacks, political and interpersonal violence, all break faith with our basic nature. All are evidence of failure to understand the reality. All undermine our ability to thrive together.
Our calling is to radically accept our interdependence and align our behaviors and choices with this acceptance. Once we do, beautiful autumn mornings will be full of peace and prosperity. The work is clear; let’s do it together.
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