By 'mercy' Lao Tzu means a deep feeling of compassionate love for all
things. It is the compassion one feels when seeing a worm in the middle of
the pavement on a rainy day. You pick it up and put it on the grass because
there is an unconscious realization of your oneness with its life force and
you would not see it die if you can help. Lao Tzu's mercy is the deep
sadness you feel when seeing children in poverty or someone confined to a
wheelchair. It is the compassion that flares at the centre of your heart
when you see suffering of any kind. And it extends not just to conscious
life but to all things. The same compassion overwhelms you when you see the
forest being cut down or the rivers being polluted with chemical waste or
the mountains being destroyed by ski resorts.
(John Lash)
What is cruelty?
Cruelty is the malicious desire to make another
being suffer or to take delight in another's suffering.
It can be manifested subtly or overtly.
At the root of cruelty is insecurity and
fear.
Only the weak would seek to harm another to make themselves feel good.
In being cruel, a person demonstrates their own frailty.
If your motive is to hurt somebody
else, you are being cruel.
Cruelty is not cool
Hollywood movies sometimes depict scenes of sadistic cruelty.
The popularity of these films is a sad reflection on human nature.
Cruelty has become a habit for many people.
They consider themselves witty because they can sarcastically abuse people
who are incapable of reciprocating.
At the heart of cruelty is the need to
gain pleasure from another's hardship, downfall or mishap.
Does cruelty make you appear or feel strong?
Being cruel says more about you than it does about the victim; your
behaviour reveals insecurity.
Decline to be bullied
Bullies need you to play along.
You don't need to resist them... just don't play along.
They need resistance of some nature in order to bully you.
Refuse to participate at all.
Don't be
upset or angry, don't give them anything.
Observe the bully as you might a
malicious child or a snarling dog, feel
compassion for them.
Pity them.
Bullies need victims, so don't play along.
Self
defence
Self defence seeks only to do what is necessary.
Restraint is fundamental.
You must use the minimum amount of force required to exit the
encounter safely.
Deliberately seeking to harm another is abusive and cruel.
Animal abuse
Many humans have an abusive relationship with
animals.
They consider animals to be a product and condemn them to lives of
suffering
without a care.
Certain animals are considered suitable for home entertainment whilst others
are deemed food.
The only difference between a dog and a pig is your perception of the
creature.
Dogs are man's best friend whereas pigs are dirty?
If you drop your preconceptions,
education, opinions and labels... and look at another creature, look with your
heart.
Page created 29 March 2001