There are times when we come across dubious actions, with little doubt about the act being unacceptable. These acts are what they are. They may arise from evil or from ignorance. In either case, the acts should be opposed. Still, more often than not, I have ended up taking things personally, getting stressed and disliking those who commit the acts. I now realise that this is counter-productive, both for our inner peace and also for mitigating the effect of such bad actions. We don't need to hate those who commit them, because then we will need to start by hating and tormenting ourselves, flawed as we are. But justice should happen, and it is our collective responsibility. There should be no time to hate, when we are pursuing the cause of justice. Hatred and animosity lead to a wastage of time and emotional energies, both of which could be productively channelised towards solving the real problems. We should have the spiritual maturity to not enter an endless process of interrogation and decimation of those around us. Of course justice should be meted out to the 'perpetrator' of the act, but this should be done with the understanding that the person is being punished for the choices s/he has made, and not for who s/he is. There is a difference here. This nuance of carefully separating doer from the act is possible if we are willing to believe in something that may appear to be counter-intuitive. As the African-American intellectual Cornel West says, it is crucial to have a belief in the humanity of the people who might be doing dehumanising things, even though the immediate evidence may lead to pessimism. Though, there may not be optimism, which is usually based on evidence from the immediate reality, but there can be hope, which is deeper and can be more stable. This hope comes from something more fundamental than the frustrations and disappointments from what we experience around us. Think about all the evil most societies have perpetrated at one time or another, and how they have managed to redeem themselves. The solution is not to annihilate the oppressors, be it the European colonists, or the neo-imperialists. Most of these societies have a basic humanity that could redeem itself, cleanse itself of the dehumanising elements that had invaded its own blood streams. This could be true at a micro level as well.
There is no point in demonising people or, worse, generalising criticisms by putting people in reductionist, essentialist categories or pigeonholes. What is required is to work towards what is right, what is just, by truly believing in the possibility of change, and by never giving up one's concern and love for those we are seeking to 'change'. This should be any reformer's aspiration, and I don't use the word 'reformer' in any grandiose sense, but for a more regular day-to-day mundane agenda for change. There is little value in being a short-term fighter, who is mainly trying to appease the ego, satisfy the urges, or express the anger for immediate relief, rather than intending to change things for the long run. Otherwise, essentially I would be making a mistake similar to the perpetrator of the act. A great deal of damage can be done by hating and preaching hatred, even if you are on the right side. Hatred as well as ignorant and unconsidered expressions of hatred could catapult me to the wrong side faster than we can imagine. It can make me the oppressor, the villain. Very often, the right and wrong sides are not divided by clear boundaries, and in fact they may be coinciding in the same group or even the same person. I need to understand that people can make choices, and they can also change their choices. I should have the courage to think critically about what needs to change and how, I should also have the courage to see what is good and love it. It is not about an immediate and absolute victory in the battles I fight, but about what kind of battles I want to choose. Particularly in these kind of battles, there is never ever any guarantee of victory in life. But, still it is important to fight some of these battles, without hatred or animosity. These choices determine who we are and who we want to be.
