"When I look inside and see that I'm nothing, that's wisdom. When I look outside and see that I'm everything, that's love. And between these two, my life turns." ~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The pandemic has something to teach us about self and community. On one hand there are people risking their health to serve those in need, and on the other hand there are those who resist lockdowns, masking and vaccination because their rights are being violated. It is tempting to align with one perspective and pick a fight with the other, but as usual I have to land in the middle and insist that the way forward is not either this or that but both in balance. The individual has rights that are made possible by other individuals accepting responsibility for making the collective work. And society has a claim on individuals that is justified only if it provides for the welfare of individuals. There is a mutualism between me and us that has to be negotiated. Sometimes that gets contentious, and we long for peace; but history shows that we don't arrive at justice without some disagreement.
May we aspire to justice with wisdom and love.
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