Thinking about war and conflict in the Middle East in the context of The Love Tank

I have been meaning to write this post for over a week, but it is challenging to find the right words to address the ongoing atrocities in the Middle East. Today, I have mustered the courage to offer some reflections within the context of The Love Tank. Here are my thoughts that I wish to share with you.

“You see... there are no good people or bad people. There are just people with a full love tank... and people with an empty love tank.”

This statement might be considered one of the most contentious ideas within the book. The easiest course of action, of course, is to label people as "bad" and consign them to prisons or worse, a practice that regrettably prevails in our society. Yet, I wish to challenge this notion. I firmly believe that no one is intrinsically good or bad, and that we all possess the capacity to inflict harm or bestow goodness under differing circumstances.

If your initial reaction is to disagree, I urge you to contemplate what you might be driven to do if someone were to harm or take the life of the person you hold dearest in the entire world. Personally, I do not permit my mind to wander to such dark places, but I suspect that my soul would become shrouded in darkness if someone were to harm my children, for instance. 

When we classify people as good or bad, we direct our attention toward the individual rather than focusing on the societal conditions that contribute to the emergence of such individuals. Instead of asking, "How could these individuals commit such heinous acts?" perhaps we should inquire, "How is it that our society and humanity at large have become breeding grounds for individuals with entirely empty love tanks?" and "How can we change the societal conditions that lead to the creation of individuals with empty love tanks?"

Perpetuating the cycle of violence through airstrikes or similar measures is not the solution. More death, more pain, will only serve to further deplete love tanks. A decade from now, many Israeli and Palestinian children who have witnessed their parents being murdered before their eyes may seek nothing but revenge. They may believe that revenge will replenish their love tanks, which have been drained by the loss of their parents and the violence inflicted upon them. However, love tanks cannot be refilled with vengeance; only love has that power.

The wisest teachers of all times have tried to convey this message to us in so many ways!

Jesus: “You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. ' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:38-39).

Buddha: “Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is the ancient and eternal law.”

In my humble words and interpretation, what this means is that if something has happened to you that drained your love tank, the resulting anger and violence which may even seem justifiable is doing more hard than good to you, and that your love tank will not fill up until you allow love and only love to fill it back up.

Naturally, it is far easier said than done. In the midst of it all, breaking the cycle of violence can seem nearly unattainable when we are all just human beings with fluctuating love tanks. Could we, who seem to be so far removed from this particular conflict, help in any way? Could we help by spreading more love in the world, to aid the healing of humanity? Let's hug our babies extra tight these days, so they know they're loved just like they are. Let's show extra kindness to others, let's love more intensely than ever. Because, as The Love Tank states:

"If each of us can help to fill someone else's love tank... even just one... then maybe they can help someone else... and then they can help someone else... And just imagine how beautiful and kind our world will be when we all have our love tanks filled to the top!"