Toward a Nonviolent Peace

True peace can be found beyond the duality of our mind and heart. That is why we should devote time and attention to attaining inner peace, beyond thought and emotion. Maintaining inner peace, however, becomes challenging when that peace is actually ‘tested’ by adverse circumstances and resistance. Tempers then grow shorter and sensitivities greater when our intended peacefulness is put to the test by triggers from the outside world.

It is therefore no surprise that we currently see so much polarity and aggression around us. Films, the dominant art form on television and on-demand platforms, present a showcase of ingeniously and realistically portrayed violence, such as murder and physical and psychological abuse. Who is still shocked or even blinks an eye at executions and oppression, no matter how realistically depicted? These films win Oscars in abundance. Crime novels, still the best-selling genre, are filled with acts of violence. Games in which young people simulate killing hundreds of opponents are considered entirely normal and are not controversial at all. Our society is saturated with accepted violence and seems perfectly comfortable with it.

Socially aware people will need to inform one another about greater spiritual awareness, from every possible perspective. This strengthens inner resilience and spiritual strength, something that is urgently needed in this chaotic time of political and social missteps and setbacks. The result is that injustice can be confronted more effectively. Together, not fragmented. This requires that our own deeply ingrained conditioning and prejudices no longer prevail. It is precisely these that so often undermine shared idealism. They arise from a different kind of ‘prescribed reality’:
the reality we unconsciously prescribe to ourselves through assumptions and negative patterns. We will have to leave these behind if we want to present a united and peaceful force.

True spirituality is the thorough examination of one’s own mind so that it can free itself from all forms of petty thinking, speaking, and acting. It is the realization of a mind that places truth and togetherness above all else, free from ego-identifications. Free from resentment, in whatever form it may appear. Free from inner nonsense, one might also say. For that, a good ‘bullshit detector’ is needed—one that recognizes our own nonsense just as sharply as that of others. Insight into the workings of both mind and heart, as well as into the often unnoticed automatisms that influence them, is essential.

“The hope for humanity lies in the transformation of the individual,” stated Jiddu Krishnamurti, a sage who rejected all religious dogma and placed complete trust in the developmental potential of every human being who loves truth and actively seeks it.

Spirituality, therefore, is about developing inner strength and clearing emotional and mental blockages such as conditioning, ignorance, frustration, insecurity, arrogance, and woundedness. When people ask, “What can we do about it?”, I reply, “We can begin by refraining from a great many things.”

Peace Is Not Optional

In the Netherlands, there are many spiritual initiatives, wrapped in loving words, intentions, and appearances, often accompanied by all kinds of merchandise. In doing so, people frequently turn their backs on social reality. But that will not save the Netherlands. In fact, it distracts from the investigation into how the human mind functions and, in the worst case, can even facilitate existing power structures. ‘Spiritual bypassing’ ensures that those in power encounter no meaningful resistance. They have every interest in spiritual people staying out of worldly affairs.

It is important that we continually reach out to individuals and groups to awaken interest in what inner liberation truly means and in what leads to a nonviolent peace in every sphere of life. Not as a political tactic of persuasion, but to make it clear that even a lifestyle based on love and peacefulness can come under pressure from forces that go unnoticed or are ignored.

Spirituality is neither vague nor optional. On the contrary, practical spirituality stands firmly with both feet on the ground. People who allow themselves to be carried along by their mobile phones all day long and never let them out of sight—that is what might truly be called detached from reality. It is only one example.

Practical Exercises

There are practical exercises that strengthen clarity, self-reflection, and inner strength. It would be valuable if the ‘awake community’ were to embrace these collectively and experience for themselves what they bring about and contribute. These mini-exercises not only purify the mind but, above all, the heart—and that is essential. A healthy feeling is even more important than a healthy intellect. Many arguments and conflicts arise from an unpurified emotional life. Feelings of agitation, anger, frustration, or confusion more often drive away peace than reason does. They can even give rise to wars. Without insight into this, the peace movement will never truly be able to grow.

Deep within, almost all Dutch people long with heart and soul for peace, integrity, the pursuit of truth, and genuine inner strength. People become far more receptive when we approach them from qualities that we have first realized within ourselves.

© Michiel Koperdraat