Words of War

I have noticed recently how very often words of war are used in mainstream spiritual conversations.  It seems like this talk is everywhere.  People speak about defeating evil, of spiritual warfare, and battling the devil, among many more similar turns of phrase that all imply that there are spiritual polarities battling each other and humanity’s role is to be the soldier.   There are even entire religious assemblies and spiritual movements that are centered on the idea of creating armies to fight iniquity and presumably to re-establish righteousness.

It’s easy to understand why this metaphor just won’t go away.  This particular figure of speech sticks because it gets people moving.  The idea of war, whether real or imagined, prompts a flood of adrenaline and the instinct for self-preservation.  It motivates people and does so in a big way.  Add to that the vast number of people that can be rallied under one purpose and it is the perfect prescription for mass incentive for action.

While no doubt the intent of those who use this metaphor is to bring greater spiritual awareness and passion to the masses, this particular approach may actually be doing more harm than good.  Believing that there is some sort of battle between two clearly defined sides leads to grand generalizations, as everything needs to be assessed in terms of good and bad.   And grand generalizations of this sort are often a primary cause of human suffering.  Love and compassion require the disintegration, not the creation, of generalizations.

Thinking in terms of warfare also pulls attention away from the place where the real work is being done, within the self.  If we wish to transform the world, we must transform ourselves.  The collective springs from the individual.  If we wish to see less evil in the world, then our responsibility is to nurture more good within ourselves.  In no context can war serve that particular purpose.   Fighting evil simply cannot create more good; however, creating more good can and does naturally dissipate evil.

Finally, the purpose of war is destruction rather than creation.  Your choice of focus is monumental in what your energy will convey to the world; what you focus on is what you will bring more of.   If you choose to perceive the world in terms of war, you are focused on and thus will manifest more destruction.  If you choose instead to perceive the world through compassion and self-development, you will create more growth and beauty.

Evil springs from the loss of self-awareness and separation from one another.    To wage war against evil is to become it, as it unavoidably takes focus away from self-development and creates imagined boundaries between us and others.   To truly be a ‘spiritual warrior’ we must practice compassion, focus on love, and master the self.

We can turn the tide of this stubborn metaphor by choosing individually to focus on what we are creating.  What are we each bringing to the world to make it better?  How are we conveying love and what unique blessings are we manifesting?  In this way, we can help this collective perception to evolve and, through that evolution, bring the changes that we truly want to see.

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