Us Versus Them

2008-8-4 03:36:00

JJ:

I thought I had written about all that was needed about the Light and Dark Brotherhoods, but Woody keeps coming up with more provocative statements that need to be addressed.

So here goes another effort.

Woody writes:

"What differentiates that Dark from the Light, is that the Dark insists on separation. Why? Because the order of Us vs Them is only sustainable as you don't come to honour and respect your enemy. Any doctrine that accentuates the evilness, the worthlessness, and the abject stupidity of the other side, is a Dark Doctrine."

JJ:

Neither separation or unity (as generally understood) define light and dark. By themselves they are neutral and can be used for good or evil depending in direction and intention.

Moses was right in separating the Israelites from Egypt which act freed them from slavery. Early U.S. [American] settlers were right in separating themselves from the old world to create a new. Jesus was right in separating his disciples from the masses so he could teach them in private.

On the other hand, it is wrong to separate in the mind and judgement in such a way that a feeling of superiority and elitism is produced.

It is wrong for dictators such as Kim Jong-il (from North Korea) to bring by force and fear great unity (by all outward appearances) to his people. The people cannot think or act in any way contrary to the common unity or they will be imprisoned, tortured or killed.

Compared to this, the lack of unity in the United States is a much better thing where people can protest the President or any other leader they want.

There are many differences between the light and dark brothers but three are most important to realize:

Truth:

The Brotherhood of Light seeks to discover and reveal truth and not illusion.

The Dark Brotherhood seeks power at the expense of truth and are willing to substitute illusion for truth to forward their purposes. They will rarely reveal their true motives or plans whereas the Brotherhood of Light seeks to reveal truth to dispel illusion rather than illusion to cover truth.

Love:

The Brotherhood of Light seeks to give a helping hand to all brothers upon the path. This they do in a spirit of true love and friendship.

The Dark Ones love not those who do not bow before them in acceptance and are not immediately useable to them.

Freedom:

This is perhaps the greatest dividing line between the two sides. The Brotherhood of Light seeks to provide and stimulate the maximum freedom possible and trusts in the goodness of each individual to eventually find the best course of action.

On the other hand, the Dark Ones only allow minimal freedom and to fill the gap produced by the lack of freedom they create the illusion of freedom.

For instance, many Nazis under Hitler were under the illusion they were fighting for the "freedom" of the German people.

Woody:

"Believe it or not all of us, Dark and Light want to be seen as being on the 'good' side. I think the good side is not a side at all, but a compatibility and a stable coexistence with all life."

JJ:

The Dark Side is very careful to project the illusion that they are the good guys, but are generally more concerned about being right than good.

The Brotherhood of Light is more concerned about projecting truth and "what is" rather than an image of piousness and goodness. Hence their work is often distorted by the powers of darkness and are mistaken by the masses as mislead or evil -- as was Jesus.

Woody:

"You need to find some way of getting along with them, finding some compatibility, some middle ground, just some way of co-existing.

"How is it that the Dark Knight and the Joker never actually reach an agreement that leads to peaceful co-existence. The truth on the matter is that humanity generally loves the Us vs. Them story, even when it is played out with suffering, in reality. Its so much more exciting."

JJ:

The "Us versus Them" idea seems to be getting a lot of coverage lately among new agers who identify this attitude as belonging to the mislead.

On the other hand, the highest religion of the Brotherhood of Light is truth and if we have an "Us vs Them" situation they will identify it as such.

Why?

Because if it exists then it is the truth. To say there is no "Us vs Them" is often not true, and to sweep it under the rug can produce illusion giving ammunition to the powers of darkness.

If you disagree with someone then you have an "Us vs Them" situation; and to deny this is to deny what is or the truth.

Freedom cannot compromise with slavery; truth cannot compromise with illusion; and, love cannot compromise with hate. Disciples must struggle with each of these aspects until they prevail -- and prevail they will. The day of victory may not be tomorrow or the next day, but that which is the good, the beautiful and the truth will always dominate in the end. That domination will not be because of the light compromising with the dark, but by the light prevailing over the dark.

That's not to say that there is not a time and place for compromise, as there is. Truth as an end goal cannot compromise with error, else it becomes error.

"It's wonderful what we can do if we're always doing."
-- George Washington (1732 - 1799)

Word of the Day

Impudent -- 1. Adjective: marked by casual disrespect. Example: "The student was kept in for impudent behavior." 2. Adjective: improperly forward or bold. Example: "An impudent boy given to insulting strangers."