Continuing with some random thoughts on books, I want to say something about the writing of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and longtime peace activist praised by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for his work to end the Vietnam War. Peace Is Every Step is mostly concerned with bringing awareness to one’s everyday actions, but in it Hanh also makes the crucial connection between the particular and universal — that is, how our everyday choices between peace and violence end up influencing the very policies our society implements, the beliefs it tolerates, the wars it wages. Especially at this present time, with yet another grim conflict boiling over in the Middle East, Hanh’s lessons speak simply and eloquently to those of us who are tired of the perpetual cycle of violence.

When we come across any kind of conflict — an armed struggle overseas, a bitter political debate in the capitol, a sporting event on TV — we all have a desire to choose sides. This is natural. In fact, when it comes to sports, the entire point of the game is to root for your side. (Try watching two teams you’ve never heard of play and you’ll quickly see why.) “In wars we also pick sides, usually the side that is being threatened,” Hanh writes. “Peace movements are born of this feeling. We get angry, we shout, but rarely do we rise above all this to look at a conflict the way a mother would who is watching her two children fighting. She seeks only their reconciliation.”

In matters of war, an all-consuming partisanship may bring about peace in the short term — with the victory of one side — but the fighting does not cease. The losing side regroups and continues its struggle at another time, in another venue. The destruction resumes; the grievances pile up. The cycle only ends, Hanh says, when those involved are willing to recognize suffering on both sides and seek reconciliation.

Reconciliation opposes all forms of ambition, without taking sides. Most of us want to take sides in each encounter or conflict. We distinguish right from wrong based on partial evidence or hearsay. We need indignation in order to act, but even righteous, legitimate indignation is not enough. Our world does not lack people willing to throw themselves into action. What we need are people who are capable of loving, of not taking sides so that they can embrace the whole of reality.

The last point deserves repeating. History is the story of struggle, and yet throughout its long and ponderous expanse only a few recorded individuals have had the courage that Hanh speaks of — the courage not to choose sides, the courage to turn the other cheek when one’s own safety demanded a choice.

I’ll continue this discussion of Hanh’s writing in my next post.

Victor Tan Chen Victor Tan Chen is In The Fray's editor in chief and the author of Cut Loose: Jobless and Hopeless in an Unfair Economy. Site: victortanchen.com | Facebook | Twitter: @victortanchen