Why I stick with Beyond War
What I find in Beyond War that I have not found anywhere else in so complete and clear a form is the opportunity to participate with others in the challenge of self-evolution—in moving ourselves to a place where war is wholly unacceptable able on any level from the personal to the global. One key, perhaps THE key, is the principle “We Are One on This Planet.” This principle is obviously true on the objective level, such as the fact that we all breathe the same air.
But it is also true on a much more profound level: we are one in our humanity with all the accompanying negatives and positives. It varies how each person plays that out, from thinking to talking to acting. But just knowing we all possess that same range of potential is reason to drop my judgmentalism. The “worst” (and the best, too—but we seem to have less trouble seeing the best in ourselves) that I see in myself is the same “worst” that is in everyone else. Thoreau wrote, “I am the worst man I ever met.” Judging from my own nature (the only nature I will ever know from the inside out) there is something in me, and therefore in all of us, that resists and resents the conditions of life that are difficult, the rules that are absolute, and the way life compels us to evolve into a less self-centered state.
When I examine and accept this resistance in myself, then I have the chance to see others, especially others who are in conflict with me, with a degree of objectivity and acceptance. While this can be done without being a member of an organization, it is a blessing to have colleagues with whom to interact around the principles and their implications. We can give each other consent to go beyond the superficial “correctness” of conflict-avoidant conversation. Besides reducing stress and increasing productivity, ironically, that authenticity often results in relationships that are just more fun—up-front people can laugh more freely.
That’s why for me a “beyond” practice not only feels so much more radical and challenging than an “anti” practice, but also feels more rewarding. I am privileged to be part of a community that puts such a possibility in front of people and works to make it real. My optimism and my experience tell me this will work globally because it works personally and locally.
But it is also true on a much more profound level: we are one in our humanity with all the accompanying negatives and positives. It varies how each person plays that out, from thinking to talking to acting. But just knowing we all possess that same range of potential is reason to drop my judgmentalism. The “worst” (and the best, too—but we seem to have less trouble seeing the best in ourselves) that I see in myself is the same “worst” that is in everyone else. Thoreau wrote, “I am the worst man I ever met.” Judging from my own nature (the only nature I will ever know from the inside out) there is something in me, and therefore in all of us, that resists and resents the conditions of life that are difficult, the rules that are absolute, and the way life compels us to evolve into a less self-centered state.
When I examine and accept this resistance in myself, then I have the chance to see others, especially others who are in conflict with me, with a degree of objectivity and acceptance. While this can be done without being a member of an organization, it is a blessing to have colleagues with whom to interact around the principles and their implications. We can give each other consent to go beyond the superficial “correctness” of conflict-avoidant conversation. Besides reducing stress and increasing productivity, ironically, that authenticity often results in relationships that are just more fun—up-front people can laugh more freely.
That’s why for me a “beyond” practice not only feels so much more radical and challenging than an “anti” practice, but also feels more rewarding. I am privileged to be part of a community that puts such a possibility in front of people and works to make it real. My optimism and my experience tell me this will work globally because it works personally and locally.
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For me, when I look "beyond" -- beyond differences of color, creed, country and opinion; beyond self righteousness; beyond the limitations of my own perceptions and beliefs -- then I am able to see the oneness of all people and all life. And that changes everything. I feel a deep connectedness that is both exhilarating and calming at the same time. It becomes easier to be loving and kind, which tends to bring out those same qualities in others.