The Will to Kill

Violence is all over the headlines, home and abroad.  While it makes me sad, I struggle to understand the psychology behind it.  In Buddhism there is an idea of dependent origination which offers basically that we can not exist by ourselves. We are all dependent on each other.  Given that we have an intimate relationship with everyone and everything, it behooves us to live a life respecting all people and phenomena without which we would cease to exist.  I was struck by a quote tonight: “Shakyamuni was once asked the following question: ‘We are told that life is precious. And yet all people live by killing and eating other living beings. Which living beings may we kill and which living beings must we not kill?’ To this simple expression of doubt, Shakyamuni replied, ‘It is enough to kill the will to kill.'”  It is my hope that while killing my will to kill I inspire others to do the same.  Slowly and steadily a wave of respecful peace will cover the globe, awakening a sense of how important we all are to eachother.