this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2023
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I live with this in mind every day.
It's a nice thought, but doesn't work out so well
It works out just fine if you don't think self-preservation is the most important aspect of life. Buddhist moral development demands realizing the temporary nature of life. A massacre is just another means by which one's life ends. A person is still responsible for upholding moral principles.
I realize we're probably not going to convince each other over some internet comments, but that's not a philosophy I'd sign up for. Morality is subjective, and I'd rather choose moral principles that don't involve me accepting being massacred.
A massacre, or a genocide, is more than just "one's" life ending. It is one's own life, the lives of one's loved ones, and the lives of one's people.
There are a lot of things one can conclude from the 'temporary' nature of life (we know of several species whose sole cause of death is 'eaten by predator' or 'died in an accident' so life is not neccesarily temporary) and the buddhist interpretation seems to be a bit defeatist to me. "Life is short so I may as well throw it away" would have gotten humanity extinct at several points in history. If all life lived according to this mindset nature would be imbalanced and collapse immediately. Why should the deer rum from the wolves? Why should the rabbit from the fox? Without a drive to survive life would not have evolved past the microbial stage because there would have been no selection bias favoring individual genetic traits. As a result no single trait would get popular enough to get life out of the microbial stage. Now there can be a discussion about whether or not life should have evolved but that's on another page entirely.
You cannot reason that life shouldn't have evolved because any argument you can make is thanks to the fact that it evolved.
among the reasons why that argument would never occur this is one of them. Another is that anyone seriously holding that belief should, unless they are a hypocrite, not be among the living anymore
There is no need of hate. You can defend and retaliate, but hate is pointless. Do it out of necessity, out of love of your neighbors and the need to protect them, not out of hate to the attackers. That's what it is about.
I'd argue removing the bandits ability to cause further dismemberment by means of violence against them and being consumed by rage and hatred are two different things.
Just a curious question: Would that also apply to your loved ones being savagely killed?
Yes, hate does not solve anything. Gun does.
Lol, I told her recently that if she dies giving birth to our child, I will be totally devastated. I didn't have a mom because she did giving birth to my sister when I was baby.
But, if someone is responsible for her death, of course I'll be both devastated and vengeful. Even so, a part of me will want peace and serenity, and that part of me will see accepting what happened is the best way to do that.
You can do no violence but also feel sorrow at violence being done. Not only are those stances not incompatible but I'd argue they're in alignment. Violence, done by you, to you or simply involving others, is an occurrence to weep for. Some people are being put through unnecessary pain and some people are of an unsound mind and believe putting others through pain is justified.
I won't judge someone who defends themselves for self preservation but I will applaud someone who continues to try and deescalate violence even as it's being enacted on them... though I will clarify this is all at the adult level, children take some time to come to awareness of who and what other people are and are still growing into their full selves.