"It doesn't always have to be like this ... all we need to do is make
sure we keep talking."
... Stephen Hawking
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level
of thinking we were at when we created them."
... Professor Albert Einstein
"There but for the grace of
God,
goes John Bradford."
... John Bradford
(often misquoted as "There but for the grace of
God,
go I.")
"There but for fortune, go you or I."
... Phil Ochs (borrowing from John Bradford)
This essay,
Coming To Terms With My Inner Aggressor,
is the companion piece to
Base Nature.
It's probably true to say that everybody knows we ought to
be able to solve global conflicts ie to resolve global conflicts
peacefully. That's the possibility. We all get that. We just haven't
gotten the method to implement it - at least, not yet.
It's also probably true to say that none of the methods we've applied
to conflict resolution over the past few centuries (maybe even longer
than that) have made any real, lasting difference (the evidence is we
still have global conflicts, yes?). So whatever we come up with next in
an attempt to resolve global conflicts, won't work if it's just a
re-hash of what we have already tried over and over and over. It's
poignantly clear the "fight more, fight better, fight
different" school of conflict resolution, has failed us
over and over and over.
As I consider some of the conflicts we all know should have been
resolved by now but aren't (current examples are the Russia / Ukraine
conflict, the Israel / terrorist group(s) conflict etc), I see that the
claims for concessions from either side
mirror
a truculent, immature childish schoolyard claim "They
started it, they hit back first.". No wonder we're stuck.
Truculent school children can't be counted on to mediate conflict
resolution. So what can be? I assert that a
transformative
(rather than divisive) approach, should be considered. It's about time.
We've tried everything else. Look: the evidence is nothing's
worked.
Clearly from a
transformative
perspective, who you are is who I am. If I'm a Russian
fighting a Ukrainian, I am a Ukrainian. I am who you are. I'm
literally fighting myself. The conflict is between me and myself. If
I'm a Ukrainian fighting a Russian, I am a Russian. I am who you
are. I'm literally fighting myself. The conflict is between me and
myself. If I'm an Israeli fighting a terrorist, I am a
terrorist. I am who you are. I'm literally fighting myself. The
conflict is between me and myself. If I'm a terrorist fighting an
Israeli, I am an Israeli. I am who you are. I'm literally
fighting myself. The conflict is between me and myself.
The rubber will meet the
road
when we realize all these global conflicts aren't really between
us and them. They are actually between us and
us.
Now that's not just bon mots.
Transformatively,
it's what's so. And admittedly it's not easy to get that. In an
ongoing, punishing battlefield in the middle of grueling, ongoing
warfare, it's even less easy to get that we are the
aggressor against ourselves. No one wins. War's always a
lose-lose situation. I assert that if we are to come even
remotely close to getting it, I have to distinguish and come to terms
with my own inner aggressor (it's "the aggressor in me").
Can I as (say) a Russian, distinguish my inner Ukrainian (if you will)?
Can I as a Ukrainian, distinguish my inner Russian? Can I as an
Israeli, distinguish my inner terrorist? Can I as a terrorist,
distinguish my inner Israeli? Can I as Laurence, distinguish my inner
aggressor? Can I as Laurence, distinguish my inner bad
guy? Can I as Laurence, distinguish my inner
torturer? Can I as Laurence, distinguish my inner
bully? And (oh dear!) ultimately, could I as Laurence even
distinguish my inner nazi?Let's face it:
that's hard to do. But let's also
face this:
transformatively,
they're all
in here.
If we can't distinguish our own inner aggressor and come to terms with
it (or at least be honest about the possibility of its existence), how
can we possibly resolve any conflicts out there?
Such conversations aren't a thing of the future. They're ongoing even
now, even as we speak.
The Mastery
Foundation
for example, has mediated between Catholic nationalists and Protestant
unionists in Northern Ireland for many years under the auspices of the
Ireland
Initiative.
Mark Kamin &
Associates
have mediated for many years between
Israelis and
Palestinians.
Both companies deploy
Werner Erhard's
ideas, principles, and methods. Their work is inspiring.