So today there was a "royal" wedding. What is a "royal", anyway? An artificial designation that says these people are somehow different and better than others, yes?
The Dalai Lama has said (and I am paraphrasing here) that all the trouble in the world can be traced to the idea that some people's lives are more important than others. Is it true?
Examine that statement - if not for that belief (that some people are more important than others), we would be feeding, clothing and sheltering everyone in the world just as we would our loved ones. We would not have armed conflicts because the death of an "enemy" would be just as devastating to us as the death of a loved one. And our level of greed would certainly be much less - we would share with other just as willingly as we share with those in our family. And so that seems like an extremely cogent statement.
Assuming that it is true and that we want to reduce the overall suffering in the world, it makes sense that we work against our natural tendency to treat those we know, love or are in our "tribe" (be it political, religious, ethnic or otherwise) differently than we treat those we do not know, love or who are not in our "tribe". Of course, this takes a lot of work. It is not natural. It is important to remember that we are driven by biology that wants us to protect our own DNA (those related to us somehow). But it seems like an excellent exercise - strive for "equanimity"; treating all people alike, as if everyone's lives; our loved ones, strangers and yes, even our enemies, are equally important. We have to work at it every day. We can start just by changing our thinking. Meditation and prayer help - change our thoughts and our behavior will surely change.
Here is a powerfully good prayer for changing our mindsets:
"May all those I love have happiness and its causes. May all those I love be free from suffering and its causes. May all those I love never be separated from sorrow-less bliss. May all those I love abide in equanimity, free from bias, anger and hatred."
"May all those I do not know have happiness and its causes. May all those I I do not know be free from suffering and its causes. May all those I do not know never be separated from sorrow-less bliss. May all those I do not know abide in equanimity, free from bias, anger and hatred."
"May all those I consider my enemies have happiness and its causes. May all those I consider my enemies be free from suffering and its causes. May all those I consider my enemies never be separated from sorrow-less bliss. May all those I consider my enemies abide in equanimity, free from bias, anger and hatred."
The first paragraph is, of course, the easiest. But the last becomes easier and our hearts start to change with its repetition.
Peace,
Paul