To work with the dichotomy of self and others, first it is necessary to consider the facts and patterns of life, that is, your behavior, your approach to communication, and your way of life overall. There are certain aspects of your life that are not balanced, but those very things can be developed into a balanced state of being, which is the main thing that we need to achieve.

Three things make for imbalance: ignorance, hatred, and desire. Now, the fact is, they are not bad. Good and bad have nothing to do with this. Rather, we are dealing only with imbalance and balance. We are not purely discussing the spiritual aspect of our lives or the mundane aspect, but the whole of life. In the unbalanced way of behaving, one does not deal properly with a situation. One’s action is not appropriate. One action overlaps another, and the action is not fully completed. This boils down to not being fully aware in the situation and not feeling present. The present moment of action is not properly accomplished, for when a person is halfway through dealing with the present action, he is already drifting on to the next action. This produces a kind of indigestion in the mind, for there is something always left incomplete, like leaving a fruit half eaten.

From “Nonviolence” in Smile at Fear.

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