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04/23/2002 Archived Entry: "3/6/02 Self righteousness"

Yesterday, in writing about the Israeli – Palestine conundrum, I did something that I generally avoid doing. In general, in writing, speaking and in meetings, I try to avoid talking about what other people should do. Other people, being governments, businesses, and institutions (and individuals) other than those with which (whom) I am associated.

I have made the choice to operate this way in reaction to years of watching movement leaders (of whatever one it was at the time) vigorously speaking to a crowd about what the President or the UN, or whatever, should do (must do!), without ever making any connection to how to persuade whatever entity they were speaking of to do the thing being proposed. I prefer to discuss what I, or the people I am working with, should do, not what other people should do.

I remember during the early years of the War in (on) Vietnam, when I was the Executive Director of the War Resister’s League – West, that our national magazine ("Liberation" I believe) consisted only of articles about the atrocities of the war. I would write letter after letter, in which I would say, in effect, "The only people reading this magazine are us. We know about the atrocities. Let’s talk about what to do, about strategy." I was younger then and much more self-righteous, so it never occurred to me to write such articles myself. I think I was happier then, being right with the others being wrong.

Self-righteousness is a dangerous thing. Looking back over my life, the number of times I have committed errors out of a dangerous mix of ignorance and arrogance have been far too frequent. And one never knows when the next manifestation of that combo will make itself known. Buried in self-righteousness is self-justification, trying to prove that one is OK, wise, better than others. This comes from the endemic human fear that one is not OK at all. What better way to prove that one is OK than to look down one’s nose at those who are of inferior understanding.

Of course, what one finds after a while, is that you cannot prove you are OK. There is never enough that one can do on the outside. You can build empires, have great riches, many admirers, but nothing will ever quite fill one up. It is kind of like the old Beatles song, "All I Want Is A Little More." The only thing that provides "enoughness," is oneness with oneself or with the Infinite One, which is the same thing. Most people go through their lives thinking: "when I graduate, move out of the house, get a job, get married, have kids, buy a car, get that person, get a divorce, kids move out, make X dollars, buy a house, make the next deal, publish, get recognized," then everything will be OK. Death generally comes first. Then one gets to try again.

I speak to myself here, as well as to you. No matter what we get in the way of worldly things, wealth, family, power, riches, recognition -- with every possible thing, in the end we will still long for and seek oneness with the infinite. Why waste time and energy. Let us take the short cut and long only for that oneness now. And let us achieve it now, in this lifetime, in this time frame.