Now most people would agree with the logical statement by Gandhi, and most us would probably say that we live our life in this way, right ? ... Until that is, something rubs us up the wrong way, suddenly, all morals are lost, the gloves are off, and all guns are blazing 'You've hurt me, and now I want you to hurt, in fact, you deserve to be hurt '. In that instant, we ourselves, commit an act of violence, lashing out, attacking back, demanding justice, ... and in that instant ... the Love is lost, and the cycle continues. An eye for an eye will make the world blind.
This kind of behavior has been furiously been brought to my attention from the recently viral postings of 'Melissa Bachman the Lion hunter'. Of course, undoubtedly, she has committed a massive act of violence by hunting animals, and I do not condone her actions whats so ever, although, I was shocked at the high level of violence that she has received in return. Attacking her, and people like her, will not stop violent acts towards animals, it will only perpetrate the acts of violence against humans. When we retaliate , to correct another's wrong doing, we actually 'Become' the person we are attempting reprimand, this is not logical, or helpful to the cause of creating love. I know the saying rings Revenge is sweet, like a pomegranate maybe, but in Truth, it is not. Revenge is like a faulty gun which back fires, you blow your own head off. An eye for an eye will make the world blind.
I'm not naive enough to think that Melissa would not receive any stick for what she has done, and I do feel that she and others like her need to be restricted in someway - however I'm just amazed at the comments and violent pictures that I've seen which attack and threaten her own life in return. I've seen words like 'Fuck that bitch', 'Cunt die in hell', 'Smash her fucking face in', 'Lets fucking shoot her and see how she likes it' , 'I fucking hate her' along with many more tenacious slogans describing much of the same. I even saw one guy post on a petition, pictures of highly graphic porn pictures of women being tortured, insinuating that this should happen to her.
So what are we saying here people ? Its not Ok to kill animals in a violent way, but its Ok to wish violent harm of another human being, even death ? That doesn't make sense. You may have never killed an animal, but have you not ever made a mistake ? Have you not ever missed the mark of love ? When you have made a wrong doing in the past, how would you of liked to have been corrected ? With Love ? or with Violence ? Have you not been corrected with violence in the past ? How did it feel ? Did you learn ? Or were you scorched ? Men in the current prison system become more violent they say or battered. An eye for an eye will make the world blind.
I ask you... Is this really the kind of world you want to live in ? Is this really the world wish to promote ? Have you not had enough of violence ? Have you not had enough of humanity suffering ? Have you not had enough of humans being harmed ? Humans are waging war against each other at every opportunity, and so I ask you ... are you not tired of this ? Every time we see the news, one country is attacking another country, one part of society is attacking another part of society, one gang is attacking another gang, one human is attacking another human ... and of course, one human is attacking an animal ... When will this Stop people, when will this stop ? ... It will stop, and can only stop, when every individual decides in their own heart, to stop attacking in violence , to stop retaliating, to stop defending, to stop demanding justice, no matter what harm has been done unto themselves ... only then can it stop, otherwise, An eye for an eye will make the world blind.
People tell me all the time, 'we don't live in a perfect world Perry', and yes they are right, we don't ...
And do you know why it's not a perfect world ? Because we actually don't have a genuine sincere desire to live in a perfect world. 'That's not true', people argue, 'I want to live in beautiful free world, were people are kind and loving, a place where our children are not harmed, a place where war does not exist, a place where humans are not subject to violence '. Sure... sure you do, and that's why now the Facebook frenzy and Twitter accounts, even friends of mine are acting like a school of piranhas, devouring Melissa Bachman to death, wanting the 'cunt bitch to die in hell ', yes ... that's the very loving world you imagine. Surely there has to be another way, a more loving system which corrects those that have done wrong ? An eye for an eye will make the world blind.
So whats the solution ?
Well, its an easy answer, but not always easy to put into action, as our emotions often fire up and act out before we have even had time to think or feel about we have just done. There is a way that I am learning, which can remove all violence in human hearts, however, its not likely to happen anytime soon, but we gotta start somewhere.
The first step is to acknowledge and be truthful when we ourselves are being violent. It is often the case that we first have to grasp this notion 'intellectually' when we are about to commit violent act, and when I say violence, I mean, projecting any kind of anger emotionally or physically unto another, whether that's being passive aggressive, shouting, slandering, gossiping or actual physically harm.
After intellectually understanding this, the next step is to STOP the violent act before we commit it, and then ASK ourselves, ' Is what I am about to say or do going to be the most loving choice, for me, for them or the planet ?' If the answer is 'no' then DO NOT DO IT !!!
If however, you recognise that your next words or actions are unloving and you commit it anyway, then what are you accomplishing ? You are taking an eye for an eye ... and we know where that leads right ? Yes, it perpetuates more and more of the same destruction that 'we say' we wish not to see in this world, the same violence that has been repeated over and over since we can remember, and we are tired of this old way right ? are we not exhausted by violence ? What you sow, you shall reap ...
The book stops with You ...
'Intellectually' stopping the violence in our lives, will not remove the feeling of revenge from our soul, and so the next step is to EMOTIONALLY' release the violence from our hearts. This requires us to be very sensitive to our emotions. You see, the reason why we retaliate in anger is because underneath all of the hot torrent rage and revenge, is the cold threatening twisted knife of 'Fear'. I fear of being hurt ... so I hurt you first !
The emotion of fear acts like a captured pirate, it buries our 'Grief ' the golden nuggets to our salvation, inside of an emotional treasure chest, and sinks it deep into the dark blue waters of our soul 'if I cant have it, then neither can you, savvy' the fear snarls, and down goes the grief, suppressed for years.
Eventually, through emotional processing, we do become savvy to our capsized sorrow, and we are able to lament all of the injustice, grief, pain and suffering that our submarine hearts can uncover and shine light on, and then, and only then, will the feeling of revenge be released, enabling us to act in one of the highest forms of Love - Forgiveness.
When forgiveness softens the heart of stone into a heart of flesh, it is impossible take an eye for eye, in fact, the contrary will happen, we will desire to lend our eye, and compassionately see the world from the blind mans vista, and conversely give him the gift of sight through our empathy and love, allowing the potential cause of violence to be grieved and released from the depths of the perpetrators heart - forever ! Only then is he truly sorry. If however, we react as we have always done by gouging the eyes of the guilty, then the criminal will forever stay blind, and therefore never change their actions, allowing them to commit the same offence again and again without any sorrow, and this helps nobody. Sure, we could just leave them locked away in prison to rot and die, but do we not then complain that we have to pay for them with our hard earned taxes ? You see my point now.
Love is always the answer.
I'd like to leave here now a quote, which simply hits the nail on the head.
'Forgiveness is one of the primary things you can develop and work through emotionally.
Forgiveness is coming to the realisation that every painful injustice WAS unjust. Once we really let that hit home we will start to grieve it. What we have been doing is holding on to all the injustice. When we hold on, we cannot grieve it, and we cannot forgive. Then you fear it, then you are angry and you will never feel it. You are never going to feel it if you remain in the state you are in.
Every single person on this planet needs to feel and release the feelings of injustice, else you will continue to demand justice and continue to perpetrate unloving actions to yourself and others. Whole wars have been caused by the feeling of injustice. You want justice, but justice is not Love. '
~ AJ
And so, in closing, before we go on our way, I'd like to offer you a little reminder, a little golden nugget to lodge in your soul. Next time you feel the feeling of revenge for any reason, even if that reason is a hunter, ask yourself 'Is what I am about to do, or say, contributing and bringing me closer to the world that I wish to live in ? Or is it taking me further away ? I'm sure, like me, it won't be long from now before you are rubbed up the wrong way and an opportunity to attack back will present itself, and when it does, large or small, try to remember -
An eye for an eye will make the world blind.
Which choice will you make ? This scene from the kite runner demonstrates this beautifully.
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