We are hurt both physically as well as psychologically, and this hurt causes anger or hatred against the people who have hurt us. Due to this anger and hatred inside us, there is violence against people and communities, resulting in brutality, wars and destruction. This chapter talks about the various causes of anger within us, how unnecessary divisions on the basis of race, religion and country causes devastating violence and brutality, and how we can free ourselves from these divisions, brutality and wars and live a life of peace on Earth.

The society in which we live promotes comparison, competition and ambition. This breeds violence. At school, work, home and other places, we are constantly compared with other students, colleagues, family members and so on. A person who scores fewer marks in school or is less efficient at work is condemned and the one who is better is appreciated. So, the one who is considered brighter becomes an example to be followed. This comparison causes unnecessary psychological hurt to the person who is considered less efficient, leading to jealousy, hatred and antagonism against others. Also, the person who is considered more efficient or brighter does not want to lose the competition. He or she wants to be at the top throughout his life, unless he or she frees himself from this conditioning. So, this competitiveness breeds unnecessary struggle and conflict in our lives. There is hardly any relationship with others. How can we have a relationship with others and think of their welfare when we want to defeat them all the time in meaningless competitions?

We have lost our relationship with nature. Our relationship with everything has been reduced to that of use. We treat everything in nature, including animals and trees, for our use alone. We have the same mentality with respect to our partners, parents and children. However, this does not mean that we should not use anything that is present in nature. But if our relationship is merely that of ‘use,’ then we destroy or bring unnecessary suffering to the life of others. We only care for ourselves and we are ready to destroy things for our pleasure and entertainment. This mentality of using each other and the lack of love in our relationships with one another, be it our friends, family, relatives and partners, causes conflict between people and brings unnecessary suffering to each other.

Cinema promotes violence. Modern-day movies are full of violence involving heroes and villains, who are fighting and destroying each other with the use of guns and other tools of destruction. The action and drama may be fun and entertainment, but it can also affect the young and delicate minds of children, who get attracted to various means of warfare and violence. They want to imitate their heroes and role models.

Role of Parenting

As parents, it becomes very tough to control children who pick up all the wrong values of society. But it is necessary for parents to be vigilant and aware of what children are doing, what kind of friends they have, and what kind of values they are absorbing from the outside world. Most parents do not give adequate time to their children. So, there is a likelihood of their children picking up the wrong values.

When parents have the quality of love and are concerned about their children’s future and well-being, they will spend necessary time with their children and try to understand their behaviours and attitudes. It is important to speak to children about their various issues and problems.

When there is this love, then we will know how to correct our child who is becoming obsessed with violence or is picking up unnecessary values from society. If there is love, then we will find a way to deal with our child, without suppression and control. Control can bring about a temporary change but real change is possible only through educating and discussing why something is not good for children and society.

Role of Systems

Our legal systems are based on the principle of punishing people who have committed a crime. Offenders are given harsh punishments. Perhaps a little discipline with reasonable and humane punishment is necessary to have some kind of order in society and prevent people from committing crimes or doing everything they want to do. But if a person is forced to steal because he has no means to support his family, then is it not the failure of our system? The system has deprived people of their basic necessities of life and has made it difficult for them to survive.

Some people have been brainwashed to destroy a particular race or community or commit various other crimes in the name of religion. This is the result of vast propaganda and conditioning by priests and politicians, and all this has been going on in this world for years.

Surely, the world must be protected from dangerous people, their ideas and designs. All that is needed to save the lives of innocent people from dangerous people must be done. But we must be aware that they too are victims. Such people need the right kind of education to free them from ideologies or theories and thereby free them from the various causes of hatred in society. Also, if a person has a mental health disorder, which is causing his or her aggressive behaviour, then such a person probably needs medical attention and not punishment.

Anger, Violence and Psychological Hurt

Now, anger or violence can arise from physical as well as psychological hurt. So firstly, let us look at the question of anger arising from psychological hurt. As long as we have a particular image about ourselves, we are going to get hurt. In the previous chapter, we learned how these images are formed. We also learned that there is freedom from these images when there is an understanding of ourselves. Once there is freedom from these images, then there can be no hurt psychologically. However, if we are free from images, but the other person is not free from them, then there is a possibility of us hurting the other person psychologically. So long as this person has an image about himself, he may get hurt by what we say to him, unless we decide to flatter him unnecessarily and agree with his ideologies and opinions. But if we agree with him unnecessarily, then this may only feed his ego. He would probably carry on living the way he lives.

If we are overly careful about not hurting others at all, then it becomes impossible to act and speak with complete freedom. Complete freedom doesn’t mean that we should say and do everything that we want to. But we must be free psychologically. This means freedom from ideals and morals. Only then it is possible to act with intelligence. Sometimes, as long as the person we are speaking to is not mentally unstable or excessively violent, it may be necessary to point out his or her mistakes. Although it may hurt him or her psychologically, if he or she sees the truth of what is being said, then he or she may change. Only then it is possible to have a healthy relationship with him or her.

So, people who have a particular image about themselves get hurt psychologically. When they are hurt, they become aggressive and violent and want to hurt the other person. Such people are very insecure about their image getting hurt by someone. Many times, they become aggressive and violent even if they have the slightest suspicion that someone would hurt their ego. They want to defend their image at any cost. So, the moment there is fear that someone will expose their reality or someone who knows about their past can expose them, they become unnecessarily violent. They want to defend their image even before it gets hurt. They can be overtly soft-spoken and nice as long as we feed their ego and don’t disturb them, but the moment their ego is hurt, they get aggressive. It sometimes becomes almost impossible to talk to them without hurting them.

I remember that once a guy who worked for the post office brought a parcel to our house. My mother went to the main door to receive the package. She asked the guy if it was a courier delivery. The man became unnecessarily aggressive and angry and said to my mother, “What? A courier? I am not from a courier company but from the post office!” I went to the door and asked him why he was getting hurt. He said that everybody used the term ‘courier’ and that he worked for the post office and not a courier company. I asked him again what the reason for his hurt was, even if my mother had used the word ‘courier’? He said the courier guy earned only Rs. 5,000 a month, while he earned Rs. 35,000 a month. So, his ego was hurt when he was called a courier, who generally earned a low salary.

In our relationship with others, we are hurting each other unnecessarily. There is hardly any relationship. There is needless anger, hatred and antagonism arising from the unnecessary hurt. So, it is important to be free of images to have healthy relationships.

Ideal Pattern and Violence

When we have a particular set of rules by which we live, then our lives get limited to a particular field, to which we get attached. The moment we consider a particular way of living or a particular pattern of life to be right, then we are opposed to some other way of living, which we consider to be wrong. When someone challenges our ideals and our way of life, we get aggressive because we are attached to these ideals. Eventually, there is perpetual hatred for people who challenge us or have a different way of living. These ideals have not united humanity but they have caused hatred and antagonism; leading to wars, brutality and suffering.

Throughout history, there have been personalities and philosophers who have proposed various principles, ideals, ideologies and morals according to which we should live. But whenever a particular pattern of living is considered a perfect or an ideal pattern and an effort is made to make man perfect, in the hope of creating a perfect society, there will always be cruelty. The people who attempt to create a beautiful world in this manner not only force themselves to live according to that pattern but also force others to follow that particular pattern. In that, there is coercion, compulsion and brutality. In the attempt to create a beautiful and peaceful world, there has been much destruction, conflict and war.

What is important is not what an ideal world should be, but we must look at the various problems and understand them. In understanding the problems and their causes, there is a possibility of transformation. It is not right to force someone to conform to a particular pattern of life which we think is the right pattern. Living according to a particular pattern is leading a life full of conflict and misery. Secondly, we do not have any right upon the lives of others. We cannot tell others how they should live and what they should do or what is right and wrong for them. However, this does not mean that one cannot stop a person who is misbehaving or causing nuisance in society. When someone’s actions cause disturbance or violence to us or the society, then it is natural to protect ourselves and others. We may have to ask that person to change his behaviour or do what is necessary at that time.

Anger and Physical Hurt

And then there is physical hurt. It is natural for us to defend ourselves from being hurt physically. Animals are violent, especially when they are teased or provoked even slightly. They can become very aggressive and violent. But we are supposed to be a bit more intelligent. Many times, when we use violent means against others, the result is more aggression and violence from the other side. Thus, the violence may never stop. However, this does not mean that we should have an ideal of non-violence and never use any force against someone who is hitting us or some other weaker person. By following the ideal of non-violence, we might just be bullying ourselves. In trying to be non-violent, we would still be violent in fighting the violence inside us.

But when we are free from violence and there is intelligence, then we will know how to respond to a given threat without getting unnecessarily aggressive. Now sometimes, it might be necessary to use a little bit of force to protect ourselves or others from a violent and aggressive person. This defence cannot be classed as violence. Some people become more violent the moment they see a weaker person or someone who cannot/doesn’t defend himself. At times, one may have to defend himself from such people. If I want to hurt someone because he has hurt me in the past, even though he has no desire to hurt me anymore or is a totally reformed person now, then I am not acting out of intelligence. I am behaving with a revengeful motive.

Again, this does not mean that we should always use force to stop a violent person. When there is total freedom of the brain (the brain is not tied to any belief or ideal), then we are not dealing with theories. So, we can decide what to do at a particular time. If someone asks us what we would do if our friend is threatened or attacked, then some of us, who have no ideals, could say “I don’t know now, but I will know when the situation arises.” This freedom doesn’t mean that we can break the law. Psychological freedom means that we are not restricted by any theories or concepts. When the situation is really serious or there is a grave danger or crisis, then we would give up all our theories. At that time, there is no ‘self,’ but the mind is free to decide what to do.

But a lot of times, we give more importance to our ideals, concepts and beliefs than the actual situation or challenge, because we are more concerned about adhering to our theories than looking at the problem seriously. When our theories or ideals fail, we move from one ideal to another. So, this accumulated knowledge, according to which we act, keeps undergoing modifications, depending on our personal experiences and the values we gather from society.

Let’s look at an example. Suppose you have a fight with your very close friend. You get aggressive with her and this behaviour ends your deep friendship with her. Later you realise that it was a mistake to have been aggressive with your friend. Consequently, you make non-violence your ideal. Now, the next time you see someone attacking your sister, you try to deal with the situation from this ideal of non-violence. Then, based on your interpretation of this ideal, you may not be able to respond adequately and save your sister from possible injuries or an assault. So, you may regret again and choose another ideal for future actions. This way, we keep moving from one ideal to another. This prevents us from responding to the situation adequately.

So, we either meet violence with violence or we become pacifists. Seeing the destruction caused by violence, a lot of people choose to be pacifists. This is not an ideal solution always. One may destroy himself being a pacifist. However, if we want peace in the world, then it becomes necessary to free ourselves from belonging to religions and ideologies, because these only breed hatred and violence. The ‘self,’ which causes unnecessary divisions on the basis of religion, race, country and so on, leads to hatred and violence among various communities and races. A person who wants to transform humanity should not only free himself from his conditioning but also try and help others free themselves from their conditioning.

There are people who are not concerned about the violence in the world. In fact, they try to justify the violence through theories and examples. There are people who say that animals are violent and so are we. The fact that some bigger animals eat the smaller ones doesn’t mean that we should do the same to the comparatively smaller beings. We are supposed to be more intelligent and we should use this intelligence to live happily with each other, and if possible care for other creatures. If we keep living the way we are living now, then we will keep destroying each other. Peace is possible on Earth only if we come out of our conditioning, which has been going on since our childhood under the influence of our culture and tradition.

We are destroying our present for the sake of our future when we declare wars and justify them for various reasons. Although it is necessary to have a long vision, the future is uncertain. It is not intelligent on our part to forsake the present and go to war, hoping that it would bring peace in the future. Wars lead to more wars. Someone who commences a war saying and hoping it will bring peace or create a better society in the future does not love peace. If he loves peace, then he wouldn’t commence a war and bring destruction in the present, for the idea of a peaceful future, of which there is no guarantee. Such a person is only attached to the idea of peace, but there is no peace in his heart. A person who believes in a bloody revolution cannot guarantee that there will be peace if he comes to power. If he is sensitive to all lives and understands the effects of war, then he will not motivate people to opt for such a revolution.

And there are people who start with peaceful protests, but their aim is to grab power and cause trouble in such a manner that forces the government or the state to use violent means. This then gives these people an excuse to retaliate and use violence. Then they blame the government for all the trouble. The government may be inhuman, but there have been several bloody revolutions due to the desire of the protesters to attain power. Although a certain carefully planned non-cooperation with a particular brutal regime may be necessary, more recently, the West tried to meddle in the affairs of the Middle East, supporting various groups and arming them. There has been so much brutality and unnecessary suffering to the lives of common people.

We are attached to our ideas and we call it ‘love.’ We are attached to the idea of ‘my Israel, ‘my England,’ ‘my France’ or ‘my religion’ (whether it is a religion of the East or the West). We are ready to kill people, in the name of love for our country or religion. Now, whether it is Israel, America, England or any other country, it is still a creation of our minds because we have given a particular name to a particular piece of land, which is only a part of Earth and not Earth itself. By being attached to the idea of ‘my country,’ we are destroying Earth, which is not a dead thing. Whether I am a Palestinian bombing Israel or an Israeli bombing Palestine, I am still destroying Earth. However, it seems that ideas are important in our lives and nothing else.

The present situation in the world is that of brutality, wars, and violence. Countries are fighting each other for a particular piece of land. There are fights between different groups within a particular country to grab power. In the present situation, if we are sane and free from all the ideals and values imposed by society, then we cannot fully support a particular group or community and totally ignore everybody else. Now, if we support a particular group completely, it also means supporting their ideologies, concepts and beliefs. Then we are also supporting things that breed hatred and violence in society. However, this does not mean that we should become totally inactive. So, what can we do in order to survive as well as help others in this world where there is brutality, wars and crime?

A Sane Mind, a Heart Full of Love

What is needed is a mind that is working sanely and uses reason and logic and is free from all ideologies, theories and ideals. What is also needed is a heart that is full of love and compassion. Only when the brain is free from the self and is not tied to ideologies, theories and formulae, is there love in the heart. When there is this quality in the mind and the heart, then we will know what to do when the situation arises. When our intelligence is active, it will tell us what to support and what not to support. This means not belonging to or supporting any particular belief, ideology or religion, which is the causes of conflict in society. In this world, with all the wars, poverty and disease, we can still do whatever we can to help others and support various organisations that help humanity by providing food, proper education and care for the sick.

Role of Education in World Peace

Many of us are not concerned with what is happening around the world, as long as it does not affect our country or the place in which we live. This means that we are a bit insensitive to the world. And there are people who pretend to be concerned with the developments around the world, but they have other motives. There are also people who are concerned very superficially with various problems of life such as war and economy. They try to bring about a change within a limited field, either through legislations or organisations. They work within their limited spheres without being profoundly concerned with the human mind, which has caused so many problems. However, legislations and organisations such as the United Nations have not been able to control the atmosphere of war. The current war in Syria involves so many countries that are part of the United Nations, and they are all fighting each other. Although they are one under the United Nations, they are divided deeply against each other because of nationalities, ideologies, principles, and ideals. Without ending this division, we cannot end violence and wars in the world. Therefore, it is important to free ourselves from all the factors that cause division in our society. Once we are free, then we can try and help others to be free.

There are so many human problems that cannot be resolved without the radical transformation of the human mind, because it is the mind that has created them. As long as there is the self, we will have wars, economic problems, and other issues. Attempts at the surface level to resolve these problems will not bring about real change.

Once there is freedom from the self and there is no attachment to any idea or concept such as nationalism and capitalism, the source of division, conflict and wars will be gone. Then we may be able to live peacefully with each other. If there is a global outlook instead of a nationalistic attitude, then we will be able to solve various economic issues and other problems.

The public needs to be educated rightly, so that people are free from all ideologies and have the quality of intelligence with its love. When there are sensitive and intelligent people in the world, democratic countries will choose the right people in the government, whose aim is to make the lives of people better, and not choose people who desire power, believe in expansion and favour or care for a particular community. Perhaps such sane people in various governments around the world can come together and work as a team to improve the lives of people around the world and not be concerned only with their own countries.

Possibly, these people can come together and form one single government for the whole world. Although a global government may not be easy to achieve, if there are a few intelligent and awakened people around the world, then they can try to bring about a change without bloody revolutions. They can transform the world through love and intelligence.

Dictators who cling to power can also be educated rightly to bring about freedom from the desire for power. But such a desire can end only if the dictators see the truth that power is destructive. The desire for power leads to attachment for power and causes insecurity and fear of losing power, and this fear leads to antagonism and anger against all those who can throw him out of power. In extreme cases, it may lead to unnecessary brutality against those who may pose a threat to his leadership. Only when we stay with the desire, is there true understanding. Once we see the whole structure of the desire (this is possible when we have seen the root cause of the psychological desire), there is freedom from it.

The root cause of any psychological desire, which includes the desire for power, fame and domination, is the self. In seeing the root cause, there is freedom from the self, and then there is no more desire for power.

Global Planning for Peace and Prosperity

Once the public gets rightly educated and there are the right kind of people in the government, then we could also look at the other factors that cause violence, such as overpopulation in bigger and congested cities around the world. These factors result in a fight for the limited available employment and other basic needs of life for physical survival. In order to resolve all this, there must be global planning. This is possible when there is one government for the whole world and not separate governments merely concerned with their countries, and fighting against other governments.

There is wastage of energy in developing the army and modern military equipment of mass destruction. Also, arms factories can flourish and make huge profits very quickly only if there are wars. It is unfortunate that the employment of many people who work in these factories depends on trouble and fights in the world. If there are no wars or rivalry, then arms and munitions would not be so desirable. Moreover, rich corporations fund the election campaigns of various politicians of powerful countries. Once these politicians are elected, they may want to favour these corporations and make their business grow by going out to war, on some pretext or the other. Again, it is unfortunate that the economies of various developed countries depend on manufacturing and selling these lethal instruments. However, as long as the sovereign states with their boundaries remain, perhaps it is not easy to live without the army. Under the current scenario with so many rogue nations trying to expand their area and border, not having an army may be very difficult. But when there is a single global government for the whole world, then we may not need these armies to protect the borders of countries.

So, there must be global planning. If there is a common language for the whole world, then such a planning will be easy to achieve. At present, we have individual countries concerned with their own economies. But if there is a global economy for the entire world, then we may be able to tackle poverty and other problems better. In a global economy, each country may lose something, but there may be a much better world and there are countries that can easily afford to share resources that they have in excess. These things would need carefully planning depending on what and where each country can afford to lose. The government must be concerned with the distribution of wealth among the people, so that there is no starvation and there are no extremities of poverty and richness. When humanity is free from various types of conditioning and the desire for power, position, status and fame ceases to exist in the minds of people, then there will be no unnecessary accumulation of things for status and position. There will be a genuine cooperation to help each other. Then we may have a beautiful world with peace and prosperity.