Hostility is Violence

Hostility is violence

To want to see someone “get what he deserves”, “get punished”, “be taken down a peg”, is to be violent.

To insult someone, to mock someone, to deride someone, is to be violent.

To not want the best for your fellow human beings, for your brothers, for your enemies, is to be violent.

To not want someone to improve is to want someone to decline

Which is to want someone hurt

It doesn’t matter how you do it

You can beat him up, take a few teeth, break a bone or two,

Or you can break his soul

Or you can break his ego, just a little

Or you can spoil his mood, just for a minute

You can give him the look

Why would you give him the look? What’s the point?

Why are you so violent?

Because you are indeed violent

You go about your life, civil and polite, wouldn’t hurt a fly,

You wouldn’t get violent — you’re too civilised

You conduct your violence non-physically

You just talk shit

You criticise

You mock

You’re mean

Why would you be mean?

Do happy people look mean? Why are you so insistent on being so mean (if not because you’re not so happy)?

We’re all violent

We’re just ignorant of our own violence

To not want the best for your brother is to be violent

Look around you: everyone has shit to say on this man and that politician and this personality and that folk walking down the street

Would you really talk shit if you wanted the best for them?

You would express your opinion, obviously. You would convey yourself, obviously. But would there be any hostility in it?

Do you harbour any hostility for the stupid dog chasing his own tail? Do you mock him and hate him and despise him for his foolishness and ineffectiveness?

We’re all violent

Given means — we’d give expression to this violence

Men go to war and turn into monsters? It’s merely their innate violence finding an outlet.

We’re all violent

That’s because we’re weak

It takes tremendous strength to cease one’s inner movement of violence

First one surrenders desire to drag others down (with no gain to himself)

Then one surrenders desire to take himself up at the expense of others

And eventually one himself takes himself up

And then finally one becomes so powerful, so powerful that there really is nothing else left but to take others up

And the notion of putting others down becomes preposterous

And the notion of needing to get one up on others, to somehow climb over them, it becomes preposterous. This is not a zero-sum game.

And the notion of expanding one’s advantage over them becomes preposterous. Why would you do that? It’s lonely without them, and they are just like you.

…but this takes tremendous strength

Strength we lack

For as long as we’re struggling with our own problems — there’s this tincture of VIOLENCE within us

There’s this trace of an ignorant, delusional BITCH within us — that wants to blame others for our shortcomings — and somehow imagines that taking them down would be a solution

And for as long as we’re struggling with our own problems — how could we have strength for higher callings?

You will be petty you will be mean you will be deceitful you will be violent. This is because you’re confused, you’re struggling, you’re NOT happy, you’ve YOUR OWN PROBLEMS

I don’t expect anything more from you. I understand

What I would like us to do is just to become AWARE of this latent violence

And I want us to do is to let go of it, when we can

We still have our problems, we’re not perfect

But at least now we have this one distraction less

You believed your criticism was founded but likely it wasn’t. Likely you’re just petty, small

You believed he “deserved it” but likely he didn’t. He’s just confused. Can’t you show him a better way?

You believed that person did not deserve your sympathy or kindness — but you have no notions what he’s been through. Please be kind.

YOU STILL HAVE YOUR PROBLEMS, yes

Which is why you FAIL to perceive this world as one, with enlightened unconditional love…!

But you can go about solving your problems — without the burden of this animalistic, inbred VIOLENCE

You just have to admit it to yourself: You are violent. You’re small, you’re petty, and you’d like to see them go down. For a small gain for yourself or not even that much.

Please admit that there’s a part of you that embraces such basal attitudes — and you don’t need it any more. You can surrender it.

And get over all this antagonism in your life, all negativity, all criticism, all judgement, get over it all

You still have your problems — but you will solve them,

Get over all this violence now, we’re better then that