451. Leaping Ravines

When someone does something terribly wrong, we are outraged. We want to express our disapproval, our displeasure, and perhaps even our anger. We want everyone to know that we condemn these actions. We want them to understand that we will not stand for what has been done, as it was entirely unacceptable.

At the same time, there are others who disagree with our judgment. They see what was done not as wrong, but as correct and good. These others also become targets of our ire. We cannot understand how they could think that wrongdoing is actually rightdoing, which outrages us further. Two camps then form, each deeply opposed to the other. There is no trust between the groups, for each side feels their values are superior. Both sides think that the other is deluded by their beliefs.

In such an environment, communication between the two groups becomes difficult, if not impossible. Everything said seems coated in anger and sometimes it even betrays hatred. The impasse only grows deeper with each salvo of words, and a treacherous ravine forms between the groups. When someone tries to reach across and speak to both sides, they are dismissed as each group hunts for disqualifying biases in the speaker’s words. Any attempt to address the conflict only causes us fall into the abyss.

The genuinely radical act is to ignore the conflict entirely, to act as though it does not exist. What is said cannot even appear to address the division, anger, or hatred on display. It must be so benign that it can only be seen as child’s play. And in fact, it is words that originate in the imaginative playfulness of children that will win the day. For such language penetrates deeply, undermining our understanding on a level we do not even perceive.

This is how compassion moves across the battlefield, leaping ravines that seem impassable. It uses tricks, jokes, and even subterfuge to open the eyes of those who are in the grip of attachment. It will do whatever it must to help people see the truth in their own experiences and show them that they are never only separate but also always the same.