“Do not think lightly of evil that not the least consequence will come of it. A whole waterpot will fill up from dripping drops of water. A fool fills himself with evil, just a little at a time.” ~ The Buddha
Evil exists in the world. We’re surrounded by it every day. From corrupt political figures taking advantage of a broken system to avarice-driven corporate executives who manipulate and mislead to increase profits, we have become a nation controlled by those who seek the power that comes from creating pain and spreading misery.
The question becomes not how we fight a war against those who seek to harm us because of differences in ideology, but how to fight a war against the fear that motivates us to welcome hate, anger and evil into our hearts. While it may be easy to react in anger and rush to destroy those who would harm us, we must understand that to do so breeds more hate, anger, misery and destruction.
We must be as merciful to others as we’d have them be to us. To defend yourself without harming another is a truly remarkable feat and a true measure of enlightenment.
Alysson we will never remove evil from the world but we can remove it from ourselves and hopefully inspire others to do the same. Thanks for the post.
Ian
I have a blog over at http://thebuddhasface.blogspot.com/
I couldn’t agree with you more, Ian. That’s the fundamental reason that wars have never and will never truly succeed. You can kill the man, but you cannot kill the idea. It is important to focus on making sure we do not contribute to the negativity that already exists in the world.
Interesting quote. Similar to the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Hi, Steve. “The road to hell…” quote is among my favorites, as well. Thanks for sharing and taking the time to comment.