The End of Violence

A sense of separation is at the root of violence. In fact, it is unthinkable to commit violence toward another when we see them clearly as an expression of the divine, and we see our own nature, and their nature, as divine, and therefore as love.

Whether it be violence toward oneself or violence toward another, a sense of separation from divinity is a necessary component. When we truly know that we are made in the image and likeness of God, violence in any form is inconceivable.

There many exemplifications and exhortations to violence in the sacred texts of the world’s major religions, including the Bible of Christianity, the Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism, the Torah of Judaism, and the Koran of Islam. However, we miss the point when we take those references out of the context of the history, cultural norms of the times they were written, and the use of metaphor in the distillation of wisdom.

Religion and spirituality point us to our highest nature, and the highest nature of others. The golden rule, in some form, can be found in all the world’s major religions. Violence in the name of religion, or pitting religions as in opposition to one another, are just more forms of separation.

The end of violence requires that we let go of all forms of separation.

It is a natural part of our development and maturity as human beings to individuate, that is to form our own identity, separate from that of our family and others. However, that is just a step along the way, not a place to get stuck. Having established our identity as a unique self, we are further called to see that we are ultimately not a unique self, but a unique expression of one greater self, that we could call God or the Universe. Whatever we call it, more and more we are coming to see that all of life is connected and one, not separate. We need only look to the latest developments in quantum theory to understand this better.

To corroborate this with some physical evidence, we can look at our genetic structure. Of all the differences that we find among ourselves as human beings, these differences are contained in less than one percent of our DNA. That is, as human beings, more than 99 percent of our genetic structure is identical. Thus, in all the ways that we find to separate ourselves from each other, physically we are more than 99 percent the same.

To further explore our oneness, we can view it experientially. It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. In workshops, when we invite people to gaze deeply into one another’s eyes, time and again we find ourselves feeling deep love and compassion for the person before us. We truly “see” them, perhaps for the first time. This is even the case when, moments before, people were feeling great animosity toward one another. Somehow, in truly seeing each other, we remember who we are and who the person before us is, as we each were before we individuated – Divine Spirit.

Let’s have a global call to eye gazing, a call to truly see one another as the divine beings we each are. That is the end of violence.

Enjoy the journey.