Fighting Open Space Organizations

[Julie Smith]

Dear David,

You asked how we can deal with people whose hatred is so justified in
their minds.  I wonder whether hatred is ever justified.

And I wonder whether justifying hatred is part of what we expect.  It seems
to me that the structure of thinking goes something like this:

Because ________ did __________, I am justified in rejecting/ hating/
killing him.

Isn't this the structure of thinking that allowed Osama bin Laden to do
what he did to us?  Isn't it the very same structure of thinking that is
allowing us to do what we are doing to him?   Does it matter what names
or actions we put in the blanks?  Does it even really matter which side of
the conflict we find ourselves on?  Isn't it simply a pattern of thinking and
behavior that is the same on both sides, and which has very predictable
outcomes?

Haven't we seen this pattern enough times?

What do we have to do to rise to a different pattern?

Artur has asked us to think about metanoia, about the rebirthing of
ourselves.  In order to rebirth to a new and more evolved self, we must
begin to discard our old self.  We cannot expect anything to be different if
we are not willing to be different.

I believe that if we want to evolve to a higher state of being, we must
discard our belief that hatred or killing or violence or unkindness is ever
justified.

In order for any of that to make sense to those who do not already
understand, we have to have a deeper conversation.  It is not enough to
say, "but that will get you killed."   We have already had that conversation
enough times.  We need to go deeper.

Julie

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