The Peacemakers – Part Two

Whenever we force other people to do what we want, for whatever reason, violence begins. The problem is that all force generates resistance, and it is this inner resistance that ultimately manifests in the form of outward violence. It matters not what our motives are, whether noble or altruistic.

The moment we choose to impose our will on others, we have adopted the path of violence.

This violence escalates, infecting and affecting all those with whom we come in contact. In our desire to gain our own ends in life we are the instigators of violence, no matter how much we may try to justify our actions.

Violence always begins at the level of the individual. Individuals coerce other individuals, leading societies to seek to compel other societies, until a state of outward hostility arises. The source of this aggression rests ultimately within each individual – you and I.

We impose this violence upon our society by the exercise of our personal and selfish wills. In the words of the 20th century Indian Sage Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj:

“Selfishness is always destructive. Desire and fear, both are self-centred states. Between desire and fear anger arises, with anger hatred, with hatred passion for destruction. War is hatred in action, organised and equipped with all the instruments of death.”  1

We have been lulled into believing that wars between nations are the responsibility of the governments of those nations, and that warfare is simply the result of hostile actions between the leaders of those nations.

But warfare is never just the co-incidental result of decisions taken by people in high office. It is always the culmination of a long history of violence perpetrated within society and against other societies. The root of all violence in society rests with those individuals who comprise that society.

The reason why resistance to evil fails to overcome evil, but merely entrenches it, is because it seeks to impose change from without. People cannot be compelled to change their nature. They can, however, be impelled to do so, when they have come to see the error of their ways.

The idea that the world would somehow be a safer place without weapons remains a fallacy as long as people harbour in their minds destructive thoughts. To attack individuals, nations, and governments for the weapons they possess, is to set in train a process which inevitably leads to the utilisation of those weapons.

Peace can never be won by force. Peace is not simply the absence of war, or a state of suspended hostilities. It is a condition of active harmony resident in the human heart.

The way to achieve outer peace is to cultivate inner harmony, by removing those thoughts and desires that are the true source of discord. Those who truly wish to work for peace serve it best by attending to the pacification of their unruly hearts and minds.

Yet modern humanity has little appetite for these lofty admonitions. When the full horror and extent of evil, depravity and violence assault us daily, we feel it is futile to talk of individual minds. For what is one individual able to accomplish in the face of so much evil?

The knowledge that outer salvation is the result of inner transformation may be welcome news, but we have no patience with such strategy. We invariably look for massive solutions to counter massive problems. Instinctively, we look to governments and powerful leaders to impose solutions.

What we fail to recognise is that solutions imposed by others can never resolve problems that arise within each human heart. The overall global condition is the outward manifestation of the inner state of all of its individuals. If there is ever to be a return to peaceful co-existence, it can only be the result of inner harmony within the hearts of every individual. There is no other way.

As Maharaj advises, “First of all you must attend to the way you feel, think and live. Unless there is order in yourself there can be no order in the world.”  2  He goes on to add, “Everybody makes the same mistake, refusing the means, but wanting the ends. You want peace and harmony in the world, but refuse to have them in yourself.”  3

The Sages speak unanimously to this need. We simply cannot reform our world until we are prepared to reform ourselves. For until we do so we merely broadcast our iniquities, and launch them upon the universe.

We are like the violinist who complains of a discordant orchestra, but who refuses to tune his own violin which is contributing to the noise. Yet the power of a transformed mind is enormous. It inevitably brings social reform in its train.

As the South Indian Sage Sri Ramana Maharshi has remarked, “Self-reform automatically brings about social reform. Confine yourself to self-reform. Social reform will take care of itself.”  4

According to Paramahansa Yogananda, “Utopia must spring in the private bosom before it can flower in civic virtue, inner reforms leading naturally to outer ones. A man who has reformed himself will reform thousands.”  5

There is no finer example of this in recent times than the life of the former South African President Nelson Mandela, whose death provoked an unparalleled outpouring of affection and emotion from people from all levels of society, and from all corners of the world.

Even those who had never lived in South Africa, or who had never had any personal contact with him, claimed that their lives had been transformed by the inspiration of his example in overcoming adversity, and his forgiveness towards those who had imprisoned and tormented him.

Until a person has achieved this inner reformation, however, any outward effort must inevitably add to the world’s burden of sorrow.

Our difficulty lies in the fact that we have become conditioned into thinking that we live in an objective world as revealed by our senses, and that the outward circumstances of the universe bear no relation to such ephemeral things as thoughts and emotions.

Because we fail to find a link between the one and the other, we believe that the execution of outward change must necessarily rest upon the foundation of temporal power. Almost without exception, those people who are striving to improve the world today do so from a platform of financial, political or military power.

Inevitably, great competition exists to obtain power, and having acquired it, to hold on to it. It remains our fervent belief that it is only through the exercise of power that we will be able to influence circumstances for the better. Yet those who exercise power consistently fail in their endeavours.

Having failed to reform themselves first, they are doomed in their efforts to reform others, however noble their aspirations. Peace, happiness and harmony can never be the result of a political system, however exalted its principles, if it is practised by those who would impose their ideas on others, or use the power of their office to do so.

Yet we continue to be lured by the glamour of reform. We remain convinced that everything can be changed for the better in life, if only those who are responsible for the problems of the world can be persuaded to change their behaviour in ways which conform to our own ideas. Unfortunately, our efforts merely conspire to make things worse.

We might use as an example the question of abortion. There are many millions of people in the world today who are convinced that the practice of abortion is wrong, and that the presence of this practice in society is an evil that contributes to the sorry condition of our planet.

Many base their views on the conviction that abortion is a crime of violence against the unborn child, and that as such it is a direct contravention of the divine commandment not to kill. Buttressed by their beliefs, these advocates of the right to life feel compelled to do whatever they can to rid the world of this sin.

Unfortunately, these self-appointed apostles of righteousness find themselves confronted by an equally militant group of people who hold an opposing point of view. To these people, the denial of their basic right to govern their lives according to the dictates of their own conscience, is regarded as a flagrant attack on their inherent freedom.

This is something they insist must be resisted with the utmost vehemence if the very tenets of democracy are to be sustained. Here we see the classic confrontation that is such a pervading feature of the modern world.

The sad fact is that neither party serves the cause of justice, peace or truth.

Both groups merely contribute to a heightened state of conflict by actively resisting the actions of the other. By seeking to compel their adversaries to submit, they march resolutely along the road of violence that leads only to the valley of desolation. The very nature of their conflict is bound to spawn violence and subject society to greater tribulation.

The unfortunate fact is that there can be no moral virtue in either point of view. It matters not whether we claim to speak from the Throne of God. The moment we seek to impose our views on others, we ourselves become the perpetrators of evil.

The truth is that the sins that we see manifested in the behaviour of others, are the sins that we ourselves have projected upon them. It is our own racism, prejudice and ignorance that we see reflected in the behaviour of others.

The pro-life crusaders march with slogans written in human blood. Their reforming zeal is a direct reflection of those stains that exist within their own minds. It is not the behaviour of others that is a threat to society or to peace, but the ugliness and ignorance of our own minds.

“You cannot change the image,” says Maharaj, “without changing the face. First realize that your world is but a reflection of yourself and stop finding fault with the reflection. Attend to yourself, set yourself right – mentally and emotionally. The physical will follow automatically. You talk so much of reforms: economic, social, political. Leave alone the reforms and mind the reformer. What kind of world can a man create who is stupid, greedy, heartless?”  6

The world is full of “righteous” people who claim to see clearly the faults of others, and who devote their earnest efforts towards pressurizing them to change. For these people, borne aloft on a fever of enthusiasm, any tactics or strategies are considered to be justified so long as their primary motives are held to be pure.

Yet when the very methods adopted serve to promote conflict, there is no motive that can be called pure. Their efforts must inevitably reap a harvest of violence, suffering and sorrow. This is particularly evident today among those who claim to fight discrimination, whether it be by race or creed or sex.

In their desire both to signify their revulsion for this evil, and to punish those who practise discrimination, they join marches, sign petitions, organise boycotts and contribute money and other resources, in order to bring this discrimination to an end. They sincerely believe their motives to be laudable and their efforts to be justified by their call of conscience.

Yet they remain mired in ignorance and their efforts do nothing for the cause of human liberation. By bringing more pressure to bear on those who practise discrimination, they themselves merely exercise another form of discrimination. They are no better than those they attack.

The reason why these people become so aggressive when confronted by oppression, and why they are driven to attack it so vehemently, is because the seeds of discrimination reside within their own consciousnesses.

Rather than acknowledge and overcome this discrimination at its source, within themselves, they choose instead to rail against the evils that they see reflected in the actions of others. They are the true hypocrites rejected by the Christ. Jesus warned his followers:

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”  (Matthew 7:1-3)

The danger of superimposing subjective shortcomings on others was also echoed by the Buddha.

“If a man sees the sins of others and forever thinks of their faults, his own sins increase for ever and far off is he from the end of his faults.”  7

The world has reached a sorry state when the lieutenants of the Church stand in the vanguard of those who judge others, and who call for the retribution of society on those they condemn. While they claim to fight under the banner of Christ, they clearly feel little need to be bound by his words.

When Jesus walked the dusty plains of Galilee and Judea, the Jews were dominated by a foreign state that wielded absolute power, and was absolutely ruthless in its suppression of all those who challenged it. The Jews had no “human rights” that were recognised by the Romans. They had no democratic vote through which to express their feelings. Those who had the courage to defy the rule of imperial Rome were subjected to barbaric forms of torture and execution.

Yet despite these harrowing social circumstances, Jesus did not lead marches, promote insurrection or defy temporal authority. Instead, he chose to attack the source of evil in the heart of man, rather than its outer manifestation of visible oppression.

In fact, on the one occasion recorded in the gospels when Jesus was confronted with the problem of state oppression, he used the opportunity to stress the need for personal reform, rather than indulge in the folly of social resistance.

“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, ‘Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all Galileans, because they suffered these things? I tell you, nay; but unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”  (Luke 13:2-3)

A large section of the Christian Church today honours Jesus in the breach, preferring instead to attack the outward appearances of evil. Thus we see the growth of militant Christianity, supporting political movements that claim to be inspired by true Christian sentiments.

These advocates of “freedom” and “justice” are themselves the instigators of oppression. They are the false prophets whom Jesus warned about, “who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.”  (Matthew 7:15)

The pulpits of the church resonate with calls for social action, insisting that the practice of Christianity has no virtue unless it champions the rights of all those who are afflicted, and strives for the creation of a just society on earth. But when Jesus was brought before Pilate to account for his teachings, he replied:

“My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews.”  (John 18:36)

As the American naturalist and philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote:

“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil, to one who is striking at the root, and it may be that he who bestows the largest amount of time and money on the needy is doing the most by his mode of life to produce that misery which he strives in vain to relieve.”  8

The world stands tortured today by those who wish it well and do it ill. Thoreau saw very clearly the evil that lurks behind the mask of those who are inspired by the urge to do good to others.

“There is no odor“, he wrote in his epic essay “Walden”, “so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted. It is human, it is divine, carrion. If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life“.  9

Nisargadatta Maharaj agrees. “When you deceive yourself that you work for the good of all, it makes matters worse, for you should not be guided by your own ideas of what is good for others. A man who knows what is good for others is dangerous.”  10

The problem of “doing good” is that it presupposes that one knows what is good for others. All too often this simply means compelling people to do what we think is best. But the problems we seek to alleviate are the evils of our own minds that are superimposed upon society. Whatever action we take merely contributes to the problem. It does nothing to alter the underlying stain.

“When you go to them with your desires and fears,” Maharaj points out, “you merely add to their sorrows. Be free first of suffering yourself and then only hope of helping others.”  11

Not only have we fallen into the trap of believing that peace can be imposed upon the world, rather than springing forth naturally from the hearts of peaceful people, but we have become obsessed today with the idea of combating evil. We see evidence of evil on every side and we imagine that to overcome it we must automatically resist.

The fact that our well-meant efforts to assuage evil have led to an unparalleled explosion of evil across the face of this planet does not deter us. We believe that it is simply necessary to redouble our efforts. Guided by the gospel of Edmund Burke, we remain utterly convinced that if good men do nothing, evil will be certain to triumph. We feel compelled to act.

Yet the irony is that Burke’s axiom is entirely misrepresented. The “good men” who go to war in defence of peace are simply “evil men” masquerading in sheep’s clothing.

The cause of peace and justice is not advanced by the actions of well-intentioned men and women who are ignorant of their own inner violence. In truth, if these “good” men and women could only be persuaded to do nothing, it would not be evil that would triumph, but peace, harmony, justice and virtue.

The world cries out today for people to stop “doing good”.

References

1  “I Am That“, Conversations with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, translated by Maurice Frydman, Book II, Chetana, Bombay, 1973, op. cit., p. 21.
2  “I Am That“, Book I, op. cit., p. 267.
3  “I Am That“, Book I, op. cit., p. 282.
4  “Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi“, Recorded by Swami Saraswathi, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1968, p. 241.
5  Paramahansa Yogananda, “Autobiography of a Yogi“, Self Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, 1977, pp. 560-561.
6  “I Am That“, Book I, op.cit., p. 148.
7  “The Dhammapada“, translated by Juan Mascaro, Penguin, Harmondsworth, 1973,  pp. 71-72.
8  Henry Thoreau, “Essays, Journals and Poems“, edited by Dean Flower, Fawcett, Greenwich, 1975, p. 233.
9  Ibid, p. 231.
10  “I Am That“, Book I, op.cit., p. 104.
11  Ibid, Book II, p. 22.

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