Responsibility and Blame

We are heavily into blame as a species, I think. Accountability is a favorite buzzword, and whenever something bad happens (if we can) we look for someone, or some party, to hold accountable. Even if the problem is largely the result of forces outside our control, there will be someone looking for why more preparation for forces outside our control weren't taken, and whose fault it was.

However, for as dearly as we cling to blame, how much thought is actually given to what constitutes responsibility, and what has to happen before a person can really be blamed for something?

In chapter 1 I talk about Karma. In the Universe, there are two kinds of actions: acts of will, and acts of karma. In terms of cause and effect, acts of will are causes that are not effects, but flow from intent, while Karma is all action which is effect. And from this perspective, it seems only reasonable to assign responsibility solely to those who brought about the blameworthy result by an act of will.

That is, they took the action by conscious choice, and with the intention of the result for which they are blamed.

A good example is a car accident. If you turned into oncoming traffic intending to cause a collision, it's no accident, and you're to blame. If it was not intended, then it was accidental, and you are not to blame.

This is simple. However, the rest of it is not. For example, what about someone who loses their head in the heat of an argument, and says something hurtful they later regret? Is it willful (that is, a product of conscious choice with the intent of being hurtful), or is it karmic (an unintended reaction to anger)? Does a person choose to lose their cool? Or what about a person who commits a crime, such as assault? He hits another person. Later, he considers his actions and feels regret, however, he cannot change the past. Is he to be blamed for the crime? Think about it. He acted willfully in the past, but now his will is to erase the wrongdoing. Is it not reasonable to say the act of the past is against his will of the present? If so, he cannot be blamed.

These are the kinds of questions that, while not always easily or unequivocally answerable, should be taken into consideration by everyone before passing judgment. We are quick to blame, but blame often leads to harm and suffering, and they do not often lead to an improvement in the human condition.

Jim

The Absurdity of Insults

Insults, slights, petty looks and disrespect; we have all seen (and likely participated in) actions that were intended to hurt the feelings of others. We have also seen how these actions have harmed relationships, precipitated anger, and even led to violence. However, have you ever taken the time to really look at what an insult is?

An insult is an idea mistaken for a thing (Ch. 2). That is, because a thing is said to be so, it doesn't make it so. If I called you a fool, it would not make you any more or less a fool than if I had said nothing at all. If I called you the smartest person on the planet, the same would be true. However, we all would feel at least a little offended by the first statement, and a little flattered by the second, as if these statements had some meaningful influence on reality.

However, to react at all to another person's statements about you (remember that self is just an idea mistaken for a thing as well (ch.3)) is irrational. In fact, the only credence you can give to someone telling you you're a fool is to accept that your self, as it exists in their mind, is perhaps described as foolish, in spite of the fact that it is only an idea. They might have a picture of your self in their mind that looks like a fool to them.

The thing is, though, in most cases, the person flinging the insult doesn't even believe their own words. They are just saying them because they are angry, and want to hurt you in some way. And since this is the case, reacting to insults becomes doubly irrational, because they don't even apply to the image the other person has of you.

So, why does it hurt to be insulted, teased, or ridiculed?

We all suffer from self doubt because of self's inherent instability. An idea can never be a real thing. However, as long as we are dependent on the integrity of the idea of self (because we believe it is real and we believe it is truly who we are), we are always at the mercy of those who would use words and other gestures to harm us.

Take some time to consider this fully. You will still react to hurtful words, because that is the nature of karma. It's what you have been conditioned to believe your whole life about insults, and the self. However, it WILL take the sting out of those pointed words to know that it's all just a game of shadows, even if the players don't know it.

Jim

Anger's Illusion of Clarity

Of all the emotions, I would say anger interferes the most with clear thinking, and therefore objective exercise of will. In other words, as a karmic reaction, it is more persuasive in our choices than other kinds of karma in our Intimate Environment (Ch. 2). I attribute this to the fact that being angry makes us think we are thinking clearly (sometimes, we think it is more clearly than normal), when in fact we aren't really thinking at all.

When we are angry, especially with others, we are more prone to saying things that we later regret than when we are under the influence of any other emotion. But regret comes in retrospect only, when the anger has passed and we are thinking clearly once more. Until that happens, however, the tendency is somewhat the opposite: to feel that what we are saying is "baring our soul" or "coming clean" and telling someone exactly what we think.

Now, anger is an alternative to fear. It drives the fight part of the fight or flight response that all animals, even humans, feel in response to a threat. For most of us, that threat is usually to the self, and therefore illusory, but that is a topic for another post. However, it is a threat, and if we are going to respond to a threat by fighting, we need to be sure we can win that fight. You can't go into battle with doubts, you have to be single-minded so you will give 100% to fighting for your survival.

However, this assurity that serves us so well in the jungle does little in the world of ideas mistaken for things (Ch. 2). Instead, it drives us to say things we don't mean, to hurt our relationships (sometimes in ways that cannot be fixed), and ultimately to hurt ourselves. However, the idea is not to try to combat one's tendency to anger, but rather to be aware of it, as it emerges, and to maintain the awareness that it is clouding your thinking, no matter how you may FEEL that the opposite is true.

We all feel anger, but we do not need to take action in response to it that will create pain for others or for ourselves if we remember it's nature, and act accordingly.

Jim