QUESTION: With regard to the recent bombings in Brussels, is it better to suffer or to inflict injustice? Is it better to be the victim or the perpetrator?
SHORT ANSWER: All parties need our compassion and understanding.
LONG ANSWER: This is a complex question. Psychologically, we know that it seems to be easier for a person to be in the villain position than the victim position. This is because they are more in control. If one has done something wrong, and one then feels contrition, that is painful at the time, but one does know that one has the choice and power to live one’s life differently from now on. On the other hand, when one has been the victim, one has not had such control and there may seem to be nothing that one can do to prevent similar things happening in the future, so the anxiety that sets in may be difficult to shift. However, the evidence is that the majority of people, perhaps 80%, of those who have suffered serious trauma have returned to being completely normal after a few years, so there are natural processes by which one recovers and regains confidence.
If we turn our attention to the recent bomb attacks, other factors come in. The above comments about victims still apply. Most of those who survive will “get over it” naturally and a minority may still be suffering post-traumatic symptoms for an extended period. In addition, many who were not victims in any direct sense, will experience an enhanced level of anxiety. Brussels will see less tourists in the coming couple of years. A small number of people who have been direct or indirect victims - some relatives of people killed, for instance - may feel a personal urge toward vengeance, and the general public will also be more inclined to support retaliatory action.
However, if we consider these last remarks about the urge toward vengeance and then look at the other side of the political equation, we soon realise that there must be a great many more people in the Middle East similarly affected than there are at present in Europe and this may give us some insight into why these events have happened. Why would anybody want to attack us? Well, have you noticed what “we” have been doing in the Middle East for the past several decades? Unfortunately feuding, or tit-for-tat, is a scenario that has no natural end until all the players are dead or until the cost to all concerned has come to seem so prohibitive that exhaustion sets in. We have to hope that before long “jaw-jaw” will advert “war-war” and people who at present hate each other will find the wisdom to start talking and de-escalate the situation. It is interesting what has been achieved by the short, sharp intervention of Russia in western Syria, for instance, which seems, for the time being at least, to have reduced the level of conflict considerably.
The term “terrorist” basically means somebody whose intention is to create fear as a means of manipulating a political situation. In the Middle East, at present, all sides are terrorists in this sense. However, carnage in Brussels will receive much greater coverage in our press, accompanied by much outrage, than greater carnage in Raqqah or Homs, yet the feelings of victims and relatives will be no less.
Unfortunately, this means that none of the main antagonists regret their actions and not many people feel much compassion for those “on the other side”. To bring peace in such situations requires actions based on judgements that rise above partisan positions, but at present we do not see many of these, so probably the trouble is going to get worse both “there” and “here” before it gets better. It is tempting to go into a political analysis, but I am trying to confine myself to the original question.
What does Buddhism say about this kind of situation? That it needs wise compassion and that such compassion needs to be impartial and unconditional. Buddhism is not much concerned with “justice” except insofar as it believes that karma will have its natural consequences. Since karma will take its toll, the human role should be that of understanding and tender care aimed at the creation of conditions for a better future. However, when things have already gone so far, pacification is going to require serious compromise on all sides and at present nobody is in the mood for that.
So, let us try our best to avoid being victims and to avoid being perpetrators, even though, in present circumstances, this is much easier said than done, and, where possible, let us try to inject some sanity into what is at present an increasingly dangerous, multifaceted and bloody affair.
You need to be a member of David Brazier at La Ville au Roi (Eleusis) to add comments!
Replies
http://www.soulsciences.net
Hello Everyone "Over There": First, in North America we still feel relatively safe, relatively protected from the worst of what the Terrorists are doing and with that humbling caveat in mind I want to offer a few thoughts.
Underneath the desire for revenge lies hatred and fear. These are the enemy. Route them out of yourself and replace them with some level, even just the desire, for some level of friendliness. Does this work? As a 16 year old I was held hostage for 3 days by two armed robbers, who raped and tortured me. I understood that everything vibrates, that its nature is to vibrate and so I threw my being toward vibrating highly enough they would not be able to kill me. The higher vibration allowed miracles and allowed my life. Please believe. We have the inborn capacity to create higher levels of vibration.
Karma: since way back, and most notably since the Crusades began in around the year 1000 Christians and Muslims have made a slaughter out of their relationships. What we're seeing is the result of that.
My husband who worked with Canadian Military Intelligence, was in Nam on special projects and had many experiences with terror and its affiliates, says the Terrorists are targeting Brussels because the Belgium police and Intelligence agencies are known in Intelligence communities to be weak. France, with multiple layers of Intelligence, is very strong and keeps pleading with Belgium to strengthen their force.
While we may take differing sides around whether retaliation helps or doesn't what is true and immediate is our emotional responses. If you see yourself as a victim you will have the chance to review fear in all its manifestations, within your own body. If you see yourself as in control you will perhaps verge toward hatred and its persona, rage, but still this is a chance to become familiar with the enemy within.
How does your immediate in the flesh response help? By increasing your knowledge of your hatred, fear and rage, by cleansing and clearing your consciousness so you make better and better choices about how to respond in your life you add to the vibratory collective and help lead us toward resolutions that may see the decrease in suffering.
I hope and pray our collective hearts and minds continue to grow us toward being life forms worthy of the joy and bliss and love present on this exquisite planet. My love and prayers to you all...