“There can be no outer peace if there is no
inner peace. These need to be in balance.
But many are not willing to look within,
and thus act in an ego driven way. Let us
remember that even the policeman acting
out and harming others needlessly is also
suffering–as is anyone acting out in
violence–and we need to understand this
and bring compassion in order to stop such
harmful behavior at the heart-mind-emotional
levels. Nelson Mandela talked about the
overdog/underdog principle, in which the
hatred of the underdog overthrows the
overdog, thus creating a new underdog.
This cycle of violence and hatred plays
out time and again through history.
As Buddha said, ‘The winner sows hatred
because the loser suffers; let go of winning
and losing and find joy.’ However, political
movements aren’t based on mindfulness
and meditation and kindness, but on
power and winning. We must find other
ways to coexist and thrive.”
~ Donald Altman