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Today's
Meditation:
We commit a violent act every time we try to put
another person down, either by physical force or by words
and actions. We commit a violent act each time that
we harm another living creature, whether it be person or
animal. We've been taught that violent acts are
sometimes necessary, so it's very easy for us to justify
our actions when we commit them ourselves. But
they're not okay, and until we actually accept that truth
and live by it, then we are following the "law of the
brute." And if we choose to follow that law,
what does our choice make us?
Of course, the brute him or herself will follow the law
also, so there may be times when we need to defend
ourselves and/or our loved ones. Fortunately, in
this day and age in most countries, such a need is
relatively rare. If we do so, though, we need to be
aware that we're stepping into the brute's world, and it's
important to bring ourselves back out of it as soon as we can.
We have been given the gifts of intelligence and rational
thoughts, of community and the ability to persuade and
reason. While these gifts may sometimes fail us in
our effort to be non-violent, they should be our first
line of defense, and certainly our only tool in dealing
with others on our own terms. Let's use the gifts
that define us as loving, caring, compassionate creatures
rather than the violent urges that put us on the level of
the beasts.
For the vast majority of us, the vast majority of the
time, we can live our lives in non-violent fashion,
sharing our love and our compassion with others in our
lives. It's a choice that we should make for our own
sake and for the sake of those people with whom we share
this beautiful planet we're on. We can contribute to
the peace and love in this world instead of contributing
to the violence and anger-- and I know what I prefer my
contribution to be.
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