I realize that for many people there is a huge barrier in the form
of "the other," someone outside themselves who's evil is
unquestioned. Sixty years ago "the other" lived in Germany and
Japan; thirty years ago it lived in the Soviet Union; today it
lives in the Middle East. Such people find evil easier to explain
by never losing sight of "the other" - without an enemy, they would
have to face the presence of evil inside themselves. How much more
convenient it is to know in advance that you are on the side of the
angels! Seeing the shadow in yourself defuses the whole notion of
"the other" and brings closer the statement of the Roman poet
Terence: Nothing human is foreign to me.
I realize that for many people there is a huge barrier in the form
of "the other," someone outside themselves who's evil is
unquestioned. Sixty years ago "the other" lived in Germany and
Japan; thirty years ago it lived in the Soviet Union; today it...
More
Deepak Chopra answered:I realize that for many people there is a huge barrier in the form of "the other," someone outside themselves who's evil is unquestioned. Sixty years ago "the other" lived in Germany and Japan; thirty years ago it lived in the Soviet Union; today it lives in the Middle East. Such people find evil easier to explain by never losing sight of "the other" - without an enemy, they would have to face the presence of evil inside themselves. How much more convenient it is to know in advance that you are on the side of the angels! Seeing the shadow in yourself defuses the whole notion of "the other" and brings closer the statement of the Roman poet Terence: Nothing human is foreign to me.I realize that for many people there is a huge barrier in the form of "the other," someone outside themselves who's evil is unquestioned. Sixty years ago "the other" lived in Germany and Japan; thirty years ago it lived in the Soviet Union; today it... More
