We live in a system of patriarchy tied with capitalism, these systems have created a culture of having power over in order to survive. We need to have power over our land/ property, wife and children, people, society, animals etc. Power has been an important aspect of human civilization since time immemorial. Power might be physical, political or social. Power is part of family, community and also organisations.
Power creates a divide, it gives authority in-hand of one above the other, its authority to own, reward, punish, practice privilege over others. It creates a symbolism to signify who is better than others, its tool that compares, measures and creates jealousy, greed a. Power is all about taking, owing, accumulating at any cost. At a macro level, this creates hate and alienates people, communities and the world. It wages wars, negativity hostility.
While compassion is a spiritual practice that connects people. Love is a passion for truth, refusal to be slaved by untruth of power and divide. It’s about sharing, caring, and giving selflessly. It’s about looking at each other from the eye of empathy, kindness, and considering everyone as part of themselves.
Compassion/ Love leads to harmony, peace and comprehensive well-being. The Jewish concept of shalom which means peace in Hebrew it preaches love is when the soul finds compassion.
To love is to witness the eagerness to serve. When we live in a culture of power and possession our desire to serve selflessly dies. So, erosion of love, cripels service. And service is the tool for BELONGING together. It’s an attitude towards others that creates peace and harmony.
While peace helps nurture peoples capacity and commitment to love and practice compassion. To create a culture of peace, we have to create a foundation for peace. Peace is a holistic phenomenon that grows when we work on building peace as a culture we need to affirm and nurture:-
Relationship
Truth
Justice
Compassion
Service
Development
It helps us to move from the attitude of accumulation, profit, greed and competition the power to a culture towards nurturing, care, growth, selfless service, awareness, improvement of the culture of love.
Creating a spiritual correlation between a culture of peace & a culture of love can help create an environment where compassion thrives and acts as an Antidote to negativity.