Now you might think that I am off my rocker. Here I am with no experience in government, politics or managing people and I am saying I can help avoid a nuclear conflict. But if there is even one chance in a million that I have something worthwhile to say it makes sense to read this blog
I am about to write a couple of blogs which might possibly be of use to people in power to help them avoid disaster. By disaster I mean use of nuclear weapons or going to war when it can be avoided or terrorists getting their hands on weapons of mass destruction. We can see the risk of this in current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
I will be discussing psychological factors and not political ones. I do not have a solution to the Kashmir dispute because a lot of politics is involved. I do however have an argument for exercising restraint and using minimum force when provoked or under threat. This should be of use to leaders in all hotspots and regions facing conflict.
I showed a first draft of this article to my cousin who is in government service and he said that in his experience people in government are dispassionate and calculating and will not be moved by ethical and humanitarian arguments. But the whole purpose of this blog is to convince cold blooded people who exercise power that it is in their selfish interest to behave ethically. Or at least abstain from acting unethically.
I am aiming to do that by helping people deal with their bloodlust and also giving concrete reasons to fear God.
The key concept is a teaching from Tibetan Buddhism that states that when a person dies then following the death of the physical body the he or she experiences some sort of a life review in which they experience all the suffering for which they are directly or indirectly responsible.
This teaching – if accepted as true – will help deal with the rage, hatred and bloodlust that arises whenever you are victimized or in any way treated badly. You can leave justice and vengeance to God (or the Universe) and focus on dealing with your disturbed feelings and also get on with your life.
Also this teaching gives the reason why we need to fear God. Just imagine the horror of the bardo experiences of a drug baron, a dictator or a Nazi torturer? Add to this list the horror of bardo experiences of a person who has caused a nuclear holocaust.
The italicized passages above are taken from the book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Link is below:
This argument may also help to convince members and hopefully leaders of terror organizations (including Maoists) to mend their ways and rejoin society as peaceful citizens. If not then perhaps these rebels may think twice before using weapons of mass destruction. I am hoping the police and security agencies in all countries will find this blog useful. Hopefully also people in Saudi Arabia who are funding schools that teach extremist views will take a fresh look at their convictions. Authorities simply have to contact them with the arguments presented here.
I’ll start with my own story. About 30 years ago I felt betrayed by society. I felt that I was the victim of injustice. People who victimized me also tried to convince me that it was my fault that I had been ill treated. No doubt I had behaved badly but the punishment was out of all proportion to the crime. I do not wish to flog a dead horse. I have already written many blogs on what happened and why.
My point is that at that time I felt violated, defiled, abused. At that time if I could have used a nuclear bomb I would have done it. My bloodlust was immense.
I am writing this assuming that at least some people who take the law in their own hands also feel the same way. Ditto for leaders and people of war torn nations as also people who take to terrorism.
I was able to restrain myself because of my reading of philosophy and spirituality books. The following concepts were particularly useful:
- According to the Tibetan Buddhism when a person dies then following the death of the physical body the he or she experiences some sort of a life review in which they experience all the suffering for which they are directly or indirectly responsible. More details are in the blog below:
https://insightsandexperiences.com/dealing-with-terror-outfits/ - Assuming the above teaching to be true then it made sense to me to forgo my vengeance. I told myself that God would punish my victimizers. Also the Universe is an organic whole and the only thing that matters is the well being and survival of the whole Universe. Accept what happened as the will of the Universe or God. The Universe knows what it must do to keep itself going.
- So all that remained for me to do was simply to deal with my bloodlust. More on this reasoning is described here:
https://insightsandexperiences.com/on-seeking-vengeance/ - I also wanted to minimize collateral damage and if possible avoid it. This was completely achieved by forgoing vengeance and letting the Universe (or God) do the needful. I was also able to avoid breaking the law.
- At the same time you (and all other people) are completely justified for acting in self-defense. This is recognized by the law of the land and also I think, international laws governing disputes between states.
So here is my message to all angry young (or older) men. Forgo vengeance and trust in the justice system. If you don’t have faith in the system then have faith in God. The only thing that matters is the well being and survival of the Universe. What happens to you is of little consequence. In fact what happens to the entire human race is of little consequence except as a means to an end. And the end is to serve the Universe (or God).
It makes no sense to seek vengeance or even justice. Both are in the hands of God and we are wasting and misusing time while seeking them. To repeat my argument the only thing that matters is the well being and survival of the whole and the Universe knows what it must do to keep itself going. Then the only question that remains is what are we to do with our time?
By living our lives. By freeing ourselves of hate and acting in our self interest. By doing our duty given our situation in life. By seeking to defend ourselves when attacked but using minimum force and stopping the moment our goal (of survival) is achieved. By caring for our families. And also seeking God if we are of a mind to.
At the same time it must be said that it was completely unwise of the authorities to humiliate me as harshly as they did. The English philosopher, Francis Bacon, wrote that, “Severity breeds fear whereas roughness breeds hate.” By roughness means taunting or humiliating people. Applying this lesson to international affairs you may want Pakistan (or whichever adversary you have) to respect you. You may even want them to fear you if you cannot get them to respect you but what is the point in getting them to hate you. And Pakistan has nukes.
Leave your adversary his dignity.
Follow the conventions of war, be honorable in conducting your conflicts and fear God.
One last word. We assume that we are sane and rational beings but all of us are the creatures of habit. When faced with a crisis we will naturally take the line of least resistance. So in order to act in a balanced way when it is most required it is necessary that spiritual or at least philosophical values are practiced day to day and moment to moment by the political leaders. They must, as Emerson said, “Have the habit of magnanimity and religion.” It must be a way of life for those seeking to the highest political office.
I am not sure if these requirements can be met in a democracy. The quality of people standing for election in both India and other countries does not inspire me with confidence. Plato himself did not give first preference to democracy as a form of government.
But there is only so much anybody can do. This is just my two cents worth.
This is the first of two articles that – I think – may help in dealing with the colossal risks that mankind is facing now. Risks of war between nations escalating into nuclear conflicts and also the risk of terrorists getting their hands on nuclear weapons.
The second blog is below:
I am sharing the link to this blog with the sitting MP of my constituency, the Home Minister of India, the police commissioner of Mumbai and some others. If you have the contact details of top politicians and government officials who may find this blog useful please share this link with them.
Update: Point (2) above assumes that the universe is an organic whole. The question arises about the oneness of the Universe as stated by modern science (specifically Quantum Physics). How much can we rely on this assumption? Science and scientific discoveries are in a constant state of flux. But we have confirmation about oneness from Judaism and Islam also. Following are relevant quotes:
Oneness is the core teaching of Judaism. Where once this one was represented by a single heavenly being, the awareness of One has evolved to embrace an absolutely inclusive oneness. Everything is interconnected and we are all part of the One. This core teaching is expressed in the Sh’ma the central tenet of the Jewish faith:
“Listen, Israel, the Eternal One (Absolute Inclusive Being) is our God (the One Life awakening within each of us), the Eternal is One.” (Deuteronomy 6:4;)
These words infuse all of Jewish spiritual teaching; they constitute the central core of Jewish tradition.
Islam also respects the Jewish prophets and the Old Testament. From a Google search:
Christianity and Islam hold their recollections of Jesus’s teachings as gospel and share narratives from the first five books of the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible),
Deuteronomy is included therefore in the sacred texts of Islam.
Also from another Google search:
According to mainstream Muslim theologians, Allah is described as Qadim (“ancient”), having no first, without beginning or end; absolute, not limited by time or place or circumstance, nor is subject to any decree so as to be determined by any precise limits or set times, but is the First and the Last.
God is therefore described by Islam as Absolute. I am interpreting the word Absolute as meaning that God is nondual and therefore has the nature of Oneness.
I must hasten to add that I am not a religious scholar and have only picked up some facts from my reading. Please check my findings and verify them with the experts and mystics.
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