Originally posted by aikido7
I continue to look for the underlying intention, because it is always a good one.
Once you can know it specifically, then you can be open to satisfying that same good intention by behaviors that are more useful and less horrific to society and oneself.
Indulge me in some hypothetical example:
If Hitler's intention of the death camps was to "purify the race," that is still pretty ugly. So the next step is figuring out what the intention is behind "race purification," because we know--according to this view of humanity-- that there is an underlying good intention. So maybe the next layer is to unify Germany by purification. Well, obviously in most people's moral universe unification is much better than racial purity. So the question now becomes "What ways can we help to unify Germany that do not involve racial purity schemes?" When you can connect with your intention (by yourself or with others' help and support) you can avail yourself of introspection and imagination to discover other choices and other ways of satisfying that underlying good intention other than ways that are morally indefensible.
It's kind of like "no child left behind." We all have our part to play. We need to find it, connect with it and help others connect with theirs.
Simplistic, yes. Just a theory, yes. A way out, certianly.
Scapegoating and pushing our own shadow side away from us has unintended consequences that always come back in another form. This is why we are to love our enemies and "resist not evil." We cannot continue letting history teach us to continue doing the same things in the same way over and over and expecting different results.
I see it as part of salvation, release from bondage and off the karmic merry-go-round.
But as Kerouac once said, "walking on water wasn't built in a day."
:zakath: