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Published: 18 March 2012

Following up on the previous entry, exploring whether good or evil is our natural state, it is interesting to consider the two opposing sides to this argument.

In recent years, there seems to have become a tendency for people, even those who never knew the victim, to express their grief very publically when someone dies violently. Giles Frazer, a lecturer in philosophy and Anglican priest, suggests that this identification with the victim may be a way of protecting ourselves from the realisation that there could be some of the perpetrators violence within us. This suggestion he makes in the context of the holocaust in the following passage:

“My worry is that the identification with the victims of the holocaust protects us from the much more disturbing thought that we may have something in common with the perpetrators. Placing oneself along side the victim may leave intact a fundamental complacency about our own potential for violence and hatred. The idea that we might catch a glimpse of our reflection in the face of the Nazi guard is a terrifying thought but is one that is more likely to lead to genuine transformation.

Often we protect ourselves from the thought of our own capacity for wickedness by describing wickedness as something foreign and alien. That’s the problem with our tendency always to use the Nazis with the default example of human evil. This encourages the thought that evil is done by people with funny accents and sinister uniforms, people who lived in the past, people very different from us.

One of the most terrifying messages of European anti-Semitism is that evil is perpetrated by apparently ordinary, respectable men and women with nice families and good taste in wine and music. In other words, people like you and me! Those who refuse to face it are often the most dangerous people of all.”

If we accept this, it would suggest that violence is a dangerous urge lurking within us all. However, to counter that proposition, Sudhir Khan, a philosopher and psychologist, proposes the following:

“If you are asking, ‘is violence a fundamental drive in human beings?’, then I would say no. But, if you mean we are all prone to violence, to do violent acts, then yes.

What we are prone to is what we would widely call love, which includes altruism and empathy: the fundamental aspects of human nature. We have pain networks in our brains that are activated when we see the pain of others. This shows that we are capable of great empathy. If an adult drops a toy, a little baby will pick it up and give it to him.

I believe that the religions which have postulated that there are two forces in the world, good and evil, have distorted the view that evil or violence is a fundamental part, as is the good. I believe that the good is fundamental and that the violence is a reaction to many things.”

If Khan is correct, this would suggest that, in order to connect to this deeper part of the self, there is a need to learn to control ones’ reactivity, to nurture our natural nature, our loving nature and to allow it to express itself. How? Perhaps, by looking to a more spiritual background for an understanding, we can both diminish that violence and accentuate the ‘benevolent self.’

If the inner violence is not addressed and resolved, it will have lasting, damaging effects in that the person becomes cut off from looking within; from any psychological, emotional or spiritual life. This results in a life of great poverty.

More and more, in a world in which reactivity takes the front seat, we need to create and encourage time and space for personal silence and reflection, both for our self and those we work with. Only then will we recognise, unequivocally, which is our true nature …. and the true nature of others.

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Published: 07 February 2012

Following on from the previous blog entry on compassion, it is always inspirational to hear from others who have already embraced and idea and journey a bit further on the road less travelled.

The Charter for Compassion is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more importantly, compassionate action to the centre of religious, moral and political life. The Charter seeks to change the conversation so that compassion becomes a key word in public and private discourse. It is designed not simply as a statement of principle; it is above all a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time.

Charter for Compassion

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary, in both public and private life, to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others - even our enemies - is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women to:

- restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion;

- return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate;

- encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity;

- ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures;

- cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings, even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarised world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

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Published: 23 February 2012

‘As long as one believes that the evil man wears horns, one will not discover an evil man! – Eric Fromm

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, in his book The Gulag Archipelago, shared a similar perspective to Fromm where he said, “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being and who is willing to destroy a piece of their own heart?”

The ‘struggle’ between good and evil is something that we all face.

When someone insults me or maybe criticises me, particularly if it happens in front of friends or colleagues, I become defensive and aggressive. And yet, harbouring grievances and lust for revenge are the outward manifestation of the anger within all of us. That is why individuals like Mahatma Ghandi and Thomas Merton were relentless in their critique of their inner lives, constantly attempting to see if there was any violence within them.

When I reflect on my life, I recognise that there is a consistent struggle within me between good and bad, constructive and destructive, positive and negative; and it is the negative, of course, that leads to ‘violent’ thoughts and actions. The story of the Indian Chief (see blog entry 15/12/11: Clear Thinking Regarding Crime and Punishment) captures this struggle. I need to ask myself, which wolf am I feeding with each thought, word and breath?

But how do I know which is my natural state of being or are they both an inherent part of me?

I was once asked if any of the prisoners I worked with did not show a part of themselves that demonstrated something of compassion, humour, gentleness, love or respect. I couldn’t think of any. A colleague, with more than 20 years of experience, could only recall one individual that she described as “truly evil.” This would suggest that the weighting is very heavily in favour of goodness being one’s natural state. If I can make this shift in my awareness then it opens the door to seeing qualities in another and so has a significant impact on my relationship with them.

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Published: 25 January 2012

As 2011 drew to a close, the media looked back on the events of the last twelve months. A significant number of the notable events included elements of a lack of compassion expressed in one quarter or another, whether it be financial institutions towards society, governments or dictatorships towards the people; media towards individuals.

It could be argued that national institutions and governments, who by rights should be in touch with the people, have multiple layers that don’t allow for or facilitate them to hear the real vox pop.

But what is compassion? The Collins English Dictionary defines it as: a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate it. (latin: com – with; pati – to bear, suffer.)

So to really understand compassion, there requires to be the principled determination to put ourselves in the shoes of the other and, if you don’t walk a mile in another man’s shoes …

But surely, if we are to take decisions that influence other people, in whatever manner, be it wealth, health, well-being, or freedom, it is incumbent upon us to look at the facts from all sides; to understand where people are coming from. As individuals who work within the Criminal Justice System, it is almost certain that we already ‘walk that mile’ …. and often the extra mile. However, compassion is a quality the need for which is becoming more and more acute within society in general and it is our responsibility to demonstrate that to others. There is the expression, ‘As I do, others will follow.'

Recently, I was present when a colleague was asked what time was ‘calling him to do?’ His response, one which I resonate with, was to quote Mahatma Ghandi: "perhaps more than ever, time is calling us to be the change we wish to see!"