Compassion as the way to manage Rage

Anton Gramovich
(Age 17, Belarus)

The Earth is our patient and caring mother, and her innumerable faces – vast oceans, shady forests, immense deserts and magnificent mountains – has always provoked deep feelings in man, inspired him to greater efforts and gifted him the wonder of harmony. But as every naughty child man hasn’t managed to inherit the feature of Peace properly, but what he did inherit fully was Rage, the feature of his Mother which he didn’t only take from her but multiplied greatly. The overwhelming violence of volcanoes and tornados, incandescent with Rage, is unfortunately easier to find in the human soul than the Patience and Tenderness of an unfolding bud. And this is natural, for no deed requires less effort than Destruction and no act can be as difficult and peaceful at the same time as Creation.

Through the centuries of the world history human civilization was developing being divided into many comparatively small communities. Those communities didn’t mix much with each other and thus existed isolated from the rest of mankind. This is the reason why today’s ethnic groups differ from each other, both in appearance and in the way they perceive the surrounding reality. But the previous century has brought innumerable changes in the life of our planet. The process of globalization of economy and politics went side by side with technical and scientific progress and has become the sphere of active international cooperation. But unfortunately, the negative side of the process is also obvious. This is where human Rage finds its reflection: where peaceful cooperation could take place, there is a fierce rivalry, where could be friendship, we find boundless hatred. And the most confusing thing about that is that in the numerous and destructive wars the humanity has unleashed the most dangerous weapon turned out to be racial prejudice, the quality of a person which is the most inhumane and all non-essential for people in the globalized society of today.

The traditions of a nation, its culture, religion and language affect the moral values and the way of life of the nation’s representatives. Due to the fact that the nations of the world had different ways of development, the mentality of one nation often does not coincide with the mentality of another. With the development of international affairs the conflicts between the ethnic groups became tenser than ever. We know a great number of examples: the acts of genocide committed by Nazis against Jews and Slavs, ethnic conflicts in former Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, and Rwanda.

But what seems even stranger is that racial conflicts take place more often not between the countries, but within one country between the representatives of different ethnic groups. The discrimination of ethnic minorities, negative attitude towards immigrants and regarding them as intruders is an extremely frequent event nowadays. Evidently, we have something to do to avoid all this, for we must not allow national pride turn into racial prejudice.

In my opinion, these are the basic rules that may help us live together peacefully:

1. Prevention is better than cure

We should understand that prevention of a conflict is much more difficult than its resolution, but it saves more lives and makes the consequences of the conflict less painstaking. That’s why people should pay proper attention to the relations between each other and not allow the mounting hatred explode.

2. Every single life is precious

If we have to deal with a military resolution of a conflict, we should always remember that every person has equal right to live. The fewer lives are ended in a conflict - the better its resolution is. It’s impossible to build peace on the bones of other people.

3. A farewell to arms

We should bear in mind that taking up arms against somebody is an extreme measure. The world disarmament allows democracy develop. Democracy requires more efforts than warfare, but it is the way to save millions of lives. Such organizations as the UN should be the leaders in establishing peace all over the world.

4. The childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day

Tolerance towards ethnic and religious minorities is something that is given together with the upbringing, from parents to children. Everything has its beginning in the family. That’s why parents all over the world should understand that they are responsible for their children’s moral values. But it is not typical of such an institution as family to depend on outer influence. That’s why it is a up to a person to decide in what way to bring up his or her child.

5. Better unborn than untaught

Another great force that moulds child’s character is education. This must become a vast sphere of action for those who want peace prevail on Earth. Schools must not segregate children according to their race or religion. Religious education must be optional and a person should have choice of religion to study.

6. Power should be just

Governments of the countries all over the world should neither discriminate nor favour any ethnic group which is living in the country. Equal attitude towards everybody is essential for establishing humanity.

7. Together we are strong

People should understand that multicultural diverse society brings great benefits to the country, for the problem is always easier to solve if to look at it from different points of view. Promoting pluralism is the best way to prevent ethnic and religious conflicts.The domination of pluralism can be achieved by creating proper international and domestic legal norms.

My project is titled ‘Compassion as the way to manage Rage’. In my opinion, nothing but compassion can establish peace on our planet. The Dalai Lama once said: ‘Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival’.