War does not determine who is right - only who is left. - Bertrand Russell
Wherever you are and whatever you may feel about the times we’re living in, I think we can agree that it’s intense…….? I try to be mindful in my engagement with world news, but when I do tune into it, my perception is continuously challenged. Actually, I consider perception itself to be an emotion-driven faculty we all can do with exploring more deeply, regularly – like a health-check-up…….? - I ask myself; am I sure my perception is right? And if so, right for whom? Is there a wider view that would be better? Can I hold several perceptions simultaneously? Which emotion is driving my perception anyway?
Current events bring to mind a true story that illustrates just how dramatically our perception can be changed by emotional responses to events and to other people’s actions. It’s a war story, but a most unusual one - about soldiers fighting in the rice fields in Vietnam, a number of decades ago.
American soldiers were on one side of the rice fields and the Viet Cong were on the other, both shooting at each other continuously. Suddenly, out of the blue, a small group of Buddhist monks came walking quietly along a low wall in the midst of the rice-fields, right in the firing line. Slowly and purposefully they walked, one after the other, not looking left or right, as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do. Suicidal madness you might think. But guess what? Abruptly, all shooting stopped. Soldiers on both sides were so taken aback (and, I imagine humbled?) by the unexpected sight, that something in their brains shifted and they stopped firing at each other. Once the monks were gone, the shift in their brains stayed that way and one by one they all went back to their respective camps. There was no more shooting that day.
Amazing right? - I wonder if there are other such stories we are not hearing about?
With the current focus on war and violence, updates on the horrors are coming at us 24/7 on whatever device we have switched on. It makes it harder to imagine a peaceful, compassionate world.
I wonder what it would take to permanently shift our perception and our brains to a state of peace without force, of purpose without belligerence, care without imposition, justice without vengeance? Is it even possible?
Big, heavy questions – probably not going to be answered any time soon – if ever! HOWEVER, I do find if we apply such questions to ourselves, our homes, workplaces, children and relationships, those shifts suddenly become a little more possible, even manageable.
We can maybe feel a little less overwhelmed or helpless and a little more empowered if, whenever we find ourselves feeling angry or defensive, incensed, judgmental or outraged, we consider dropping into our centre and allowing a more fully present state, then take a moment to question, if nothing else, our own perception……which emotion is driving us, and whether there is a wider view?
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