Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. ~C. S. Lewis
When someone asked me this morning how I cope with the tragedy of fear and rage and suffering going on in our country right now, I answered, “with compassion.” That is a simple answer, an answer some might dismiss as overly simplistic, naive, unrealistic. An answer someone might give who is in denial, who has not been paying attention, who is spiritually bypassing, who doesn’t care.
We certainly seem to be at a testing point right now, don’t we? And I suspect that people across the spectrum of race, ethnicity, nationality, politics, class, religion, gender, and more, might be feeling “tested” in some way. So how do we respond?
When we respond with anger, hatred, outrage, we feed the very beast we are condemning. Whatever we call it – evil, stupidity, greed, mob mentality, fear, brainwashing – the beast thrives on division, enmity, conflict, judgment, violence, force, “othering,” on anything that closes our hearts to others and to ourselves.
What is the alternative? Should we just relax and sing flower songs and pretend that nothing is going on? I don’t think so. The challenge, however, is to acknowledge all that is going on with an open heart, an open heart that may be breaking with despair, grief, confusion, an open heart that fills and spills over with compassion. That takes courage. Courage, a word rooted in “heart,” asks us to hold all who suffer in our embrace, everyone, without exception.
As we stand with the oppressed, as we defend those whose rights are denied, as we shelter those in danger, as we speak truth to power, even as we may be called upon to fight, can we draw upon the courage in our hearts to manifest the true power of peace, forgiveness, comfort, empathy? Can we care enough, be brave enough, not to hate? Can we meet the testing point with the courage of compassion?
As a practical suggestion for self-care, we might find inspiration in these Buddhist monks walking for peace.
How are you coping these days? Do you have any practices, strategies, tips to share?
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. ~Jesus
“Once a person has surrendered his/her will and become a mere tool, there are no lengths of evil to which the fool will not go, yet all the time is unable to see that it is evil. Here lies the danger of a diabolical exploitation of humanity, which can do irreparable damage to the human character.
But it is just at this point that we realize that the fool cannot be saved by education. What he/she needs is redemption…”
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Bonhoeffer’s message is a stark warning to us all. Should we chose to march, write letters to various publications or to our congress people, give money to what we feel is a “just cause” — lets us remember that all are susceptible to personal and collective error, to misguided thinking, to human frailty.
Ok, now some better news.
Redemption: the act of being rescued, liberated or bought back from psychological blindness, freedom from the bondage of stubborn pride, the sickness of self-absorbsion and/or personal or collective delusion; the healing of the heart, discovering/rediscovering one’s true identity, unconditional/sacrificial Love.
Teachers like Lao-tzu, Siddhartha Gautama, Jesus of Nazareth and others emanated a message of redemptive healing to their misguided worlds. What their messages taught was never retributive, but always restorative, rescuing, renewing, merciful, and discerning (never judgmental) — a compassion rooted in and manifest as the flame of Love.
Our hearts pain whenever we see blatant injustice: executions, torture, cold heartedness, sociopathy, etc. And yet, beyond the obvious we all need healing. Healing is born from humility. By awakening to our own misguided thoughts, and one-sided judgments — humility becomes the doorway to compassion. How does compassion find itself? By a growing sense of a single human family, we are all in this together — the declaration that my brother or sister is me, and I them; it is the Buddha nature, the Christ, the presence of the Tao abiding in all — even to those we seemingly most despise. Judgment (fear) begins to crumble as compassion finds its way to our core. Here false divisions, false assumptions and defensive postures give way to better clarity and rising hope. This hope is the power of Love — other-centered Love. It is the source for all that is.
Consider this: Is there anything more moving than seeing those Buddhist monks walk for peace? Even their dog is a shinning example of that compassion (if you know the story). Did their companionship and emanation of light bring joy to your soul? Hallelujah!
This is the juice baby! — the woven fabric of hope, fuel and purpose…
“If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself.”
~ Lao Tzu
Absolutely, Keith! This is the juice indeed! I include the examples of marching and so on to point out that redemption doesn’t always manifest in passivity. Even Arjuna was called to battle in the Bhagavad Gita. The key is what is going on in our hearts and souls. We can march in peace, like the monks, without a mindset of “protest” or “resistance.” We can hold up signs of love, literally or figuratively, instead of signs of judgment and condemnation. I like to think that “tank man” faced that line of tanks with peace and compassion in his heart, rather than anger or hatred. The news I’ve been following most closely lately is the daily updates on the monks. Like you said, they bring joy and compassion and peace to my soul. Thank you for articulating so clearly what I was trying to say. I appreciate you, Keith.
Evil may be less a matter of intent than of imbalance—something that can emerge when systems tilt without sufficient corrective forces. The work, and perhaps the courage, may lie in learning to see through a systems lens and in supporting influences that can counter harmful dynamics before they take hold
I love that description of evil as reflecting imbalance rather than intent. Imbalance, misalignment, ignorance, mistaken perception, fear — all these contribute to what we sometimes refer to as evil. Even the word “sin” means to miss the mark — also suggesting imbalance or misalignment — rather than bad intent. Thanks for your comment, David.