Is it True, Kind, and Necessary?

If the personal is political, it follows that the political can be personal

With geopolitical issues buzzing at a fevered pitch, I’d like to advocate for cooler heads. If our leaders can’t manage this, maybe at least the rest of us can.

So much is at stake: we’re flirting with nuclear war, so we need to stay centred so we can examine the actual evidence of what’s going on in calm and methodical ways.

There’s a Buddhist expression that was coined by many others about filtering what we say through three gates:

• Is it true?

• Is it kind?

• Is it necessary?

I’d like to explore this idea as it applies to our geopolitical situation.

Is it true?

These days, in the fog of war propaganda, making sure what we say is true online and off is a big deal.

Let’s first look at what we know is true. Here are a few things that I consider to be untrue:

• that opposing genocide means that someone is anti-semitic. Just because Israel is committing genocide doesn’t make it and so many want it to stop, it doesn’t make our horror at genocide an indication that we’re anti-semitic. Lots of Jewish people are objecting to the genocide in Gaza. How can it be anti-semitic?

• that Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, intends to expand his military operation to Europe. Lots of news media claim that that’s his intention, but I haven’t seen a quote by him to that effect. I looked at Karl Sanchez’s Substack page. Karl shares translations of speeches by world leaders. Here’s what Putin actually said: “They thought that Russia wanted to attack NATO. Are you completely out of your mind? Stupid at all, like this table? Who came up with this idea? This is bullshit, bullshit! But that would be nonsense if it wasn't designed to fool its own population into saying, "Watch out! Soon Russia will attack us! And we must urgently arm ourselves, urgently send weapons to Ukraine!" But in fact, what is it done for? To maintain their own imperial position and greatness-that's what it's all about, that's what these threats and scares are for the burghers in German.” Here’s the link to the article. I highly recommend Karl’s site.

• that the USA is a force for peace and justice, and that Israel has the right to defend itself by obliterating Gaza. The USA and its allies have been funding and enabling Israel which is committing war crimes against Gaza and other neighbouring countries. The USA has also been vetoing calls for a ceasefire in Israel at the UN Security Council.

• that Donald Trump intends to dismantle the deep state. Here’s Ben Norton explaining that he represents members of the deep state and their interests.

I hope you’ll add more in the comments about what you know to be true.

Is it kind? Or, more to the point, can we communicate kindly?

With so much at stake, we need room for discussion, nuance and discovering new information and perspectives. I hope we can find common cause in wanting a better, healthier, more fair and just future for all. I hope we can help each other as we grapple with the huge problems that are facing all of us.

Respect and kindness lubricate the communication process, helping us to share things that go beyond the usual talking points. An environment of safety online is a welcome experience. We need our best ideas in a time like this, and this is how we open ourselves and each other to them.

Is it necessary?

So many of us are overwhelmed these days that I think it’s a good question to ask. As much as I appreciate the need for certain post to be lengthy, I make a point of keeping my posts short out of respect for other people’s time.

Recently I found a great BDS list that’s worth sharing. We need to have ways of exercising our agency, and boycotting is a powerful way. It’s having a big impact.

I consider tools that can get us to the kind of world we want where all can flourish necessary.

I try to communicate in ways that are true, kind and necessary, and appreciate it when others communicate this way.

Thanks for reading, and I’d love to know your thoughts about this way of filtering our communications.