How we can stop the madness of hate and division

Someone told me on FaceBook that it is possible to be self reflective and still disagree with others on such a fundamental level that you realize that you can never achieve common ground. He said that when he encounters someone who steadfastly refuses to acknowledge facts or science — as is often the case these days — it is extremely difficult to find a basis for moving forward with any kind of meaningful relationship. This insightful man asked me that while he agrees that the progress of civilization requires looking past superficial differences, what do you do when you discover that you have a fundamental intellectual/moral/ethical incompatibility with another? “I am inclined to think that disengagement is the least destructive approach, but I cannot see how that will help to lessen the ideological divide threatening the stability of the country.”

I think my friend makes a great point.

It seems that when we reach this impasse, which is likely, then the least we can do is stop feeding into the conflict. Instead, however, people are calling each other names, hating one another, lying, and calling for the destruction of others. It is one thing to point out what is being done — the news, so to speak — and quite another to foment hate and enmity.

I agree that there are many who lack the capacity to see what is going on in this nation regarding wide-scale hate and divisiveness; this quite obvious and it is coming from our leaders as well as their ardent followers. But when we add fear to this then we see a pattern of hate and destruction. This fear comes from the sense of self that perceives everything as “the other.” For those of us who do not want this tumult in our minds, hearts, and relationships, then we need to not carry it or pass it back and forth.

It doesn’t matter whether you are the Buddha, Christ, or just an astute thinker, but the fact remains that we are all one single movement of energy, or consciousness. What we see in others is what is inside of us. In a dream this becomes more obvious, because the mind creates a dream as well as all the people in it — these aspects are actually parts of the dreamer. In this waking life we are doing the same thing as shared consciousness.

So if we want to have peace then we can simply observe what is going on with others instead of actively attacking them either mentally, verbally, or physically. We can state the truth or report an action without mal-intent and hate. I am not talking about self defense, but rather a mode of thinking. Even in self defense we don’t have to hate the other person in order to stop them, and we do not have to wish them harm for their actions and ideas. And, of course, this will likely be a one-sided approach, because, as my friend suggested, some people simply lack the capacity to understand or change.