Violence

Question: Will you talk about the violence in the world today?

Aaron: There are so many things that seem to cause violence. Let us take each issue and trace it further and further back and see the causes behind the causes. We eventually get back to the misunderstanding that there is a separate self. A being immersed in this misunderstanding becomes involved in service to self rather than service to others, and sees them as mutually incompatible. The self, experienced as needing, demands that which it believes it seeks for its own satisfaction. This may be a craving for personal satisfaction which leads to an act such as stealing from another, or a craving for ideological satisfaction where a being may commit violence against another in the name of a belief. In either case, the action grows from the notion of a separate self which can be satisfied by disrupting the being of another.

Is this being satisfied? In truth, no! There is always a continuation of the wanting, on either the personal or ideological level. Again, let us trace back the source of this sense of wanting. It grows out of a feeling of incompleteness, of lack of wholeness. Indeed, the being that sees itself as separate can never find wholeness, for your wholeness grows out of your understanding of oneness. In separation from others there is also separation from yourself. The acute pain of this separation leads to an attempt to fill in the emptiness, not by reaching out to others with love, but only by taking.

At some point all beings are asked to make a choice between service to self and service to others. For some time, both choices are possible as God is within both self and others. Service to self can be service to God. At a certain point in the human journey, the vehicle of service to self is no longer viable, but the being involved does not understand this. The more a being pursues this service to self, the more deeply enmeshed in this misunderstanding he becomes. I believe that this choice of service to self is what has led beings like Hitler to continue in violence to others with a strong belief in the righteousness of their acts.

Service to self is service to God until it infringes upon another being. It is at this time that the misunderstanding begins and that misunderstanding grows from the further misconception of the separate self. Not knowing the oneness, the being mistakenly believes he can enhance himself through damaging another. The problem for you in the physical plane is that so many beings are enmeshed in this misapprehension of separateness and they have no idea how to get beyond it or even that there is a beyond.

As with all issues, the only work that you can do is on yourself. When you see beyond your own separateness then personal violence is no longer possible, but you cannot dictate this to another without doing violence to him. Many have been killed in the name of such righteousness. Your only option is to use your own life as a demonstration to others that there is no separateness and that violence is not necessary. This is certainly one of those cases where actions speak louder than words. You are all teachers and have a wonderful way to demonstrate through your own lives that violence is not a necessity.

There are so many secondary sources of violence-prejudice, anger, hatred, pain, hunger. If you examine these, you will find they trace back to this idea of a separate self. The question then becomes not how can we get rid of violence but how can we move beyond this misconception that the self is separate and that any act which violates the essence of another can truly benefit that first self. This is the idea that must be taught.

Question: How can I teach this idea in the context of my current life?

You can teach this idea simply by offering that violence is not a necessary and inescapable part of our lives. Contrary to popular belief, violence is not natural to human beings but is learned behavior. Most directly, you can teach it through your own actions. Violence to another does not mean only physical aggression. Forcing your own ideas on someone is a form of violence, as are anger and even impatience. There is no being on the physical plane, no matter how pure or how careful, who does not occasionally commit violence against another.

Please understand that your anger, for example, is not bad in itself. It is simply a feeling, just energy passing through. It is your relationship with your anger that creates the problem. Acknowledge your anger to yourself without judgment. As you do so, realize that there is no need to force that anger on another. It is enough to simply acknowledge it. Be honest but compassionate with yourself as you examine the ego needs that have led you to anger. Understanding your oneness, what compromise is possible?

When your ideas or needs conflict with those of others, acknowledge the discomfort that this conflict causes in you, and compassionately relate to their ideas and needs as you continue to express your own. This open consideration creates a space for listening and communication better than does struggle. When you approach any situation as a battle, you create a battle, even if it is only a combat of ideas. Battle cannot exist unless you allow it to exist. You always are given the choice between responding with love and compassion or with hostility. Remember that a battle of ideas is also a form of violence against another human being and is truly not necessary.

Your own life can be a much better way of teaching than any words that you may choose to use. As you strive in this direction, be compassionate with yourself and your own mistakes. You are not asked to be perfect. If you had reached that level of perfection where you never made mistakes, you would not need to be learning on this physical plane. Allow your mistakes and learn from them. Simply be honest with yourself.

Remember that anything which violates the essence of another being is a form of violence toward that being. This thought is inherent in the concept of Ahimsa, a Sanskrit term meaning harmlessness, or more completely, "dynamic compassion." Implied in this concept are not only non-aggression, but healing.

True healing grows out of forgiveness, and even more important, love. We cannot speak of transcending violence without mention of these states of being which provide a balance to violence. Open your hearts to yourselves and all beings, and learn to love. Deep looking and understanding is the vehicle. This is the most important lesson.