Page 56 - Non-violence and peace-building

Communal Egos and Inter-Community Conflict

explaining, “I smiled and spoke in a very gentle manner
with my son because I feared that if at that delicate
moment I scolded him, he would fall down and injure
himself, or worse. This delicate situation compelled me
to speak to him sweetly, contrary to my habit.”
This example has valuable lessons, not just at the
individual level but also at the social level. It applies to
entire communities, too, just as it does to individuals. If
you are conscious of the sensitiveness of a situation and
are very careful and concerned about it, your awareness,
care and concern will compel you to exercise tolerance,
rather than to get agitated and angry. It will impel you to
avoid confrontation, and in this way you will be able to
move ahead. Instead of getting stuck in a debate about
who is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, you will focus on trying to
solve the problem you are confronted with.

If, however, you are not conscious of the delicateness
of the situation you are confronted with, you will, start
screaming at seeing your son perched atop an electric
pole, as it were, even if this means that because of this
he will fall down and break all his bones.
The whole of human history testifies to the fact that
if a person is sincere about something, his approach
and behaviour will be different, totally contrary to
that of a non-serious person. Only a sincere person
will be willing to realize the significance of the issues
he is faced with. Only such a person will be able to
properly appreciate the delicateness of a situation that
he finds himself placed in. In contrast to a sincere man,
an insincere man will refuse to accept any evidence or
argument that does not suit his way of thinking. He

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