Being radical about aggression

The founders of Jivamukti Yoga, David Life and Sharon Gannon, often talk about yoga being "radical." Unlike the way this word is commonly pejoratively used in today's parlance, they define the word to mean "going back to the root." In other words, yoga is a no-bullshit philosophy that doesn't treat surface symptoms but delves deeply into the root causes of problems.

So, one of the greatest problems plaguing humanity has been aggression. On a societal level, this has led to wars and horrific genocides, and technology has only made this threat more grave. On a personal level, aggression has led to suffering - even science is now proving this. So conquering aggression, both internally and externally, is the answer to leading a fuller, more happy life and furthering the evolution of humanity as a species.

Where's the disconnect? Obviously something isn't working. I have devoted my life to studying conflicts, but you don't have to be an academic to know this. Well, David and Sharon teach we must take a 'radical' approach and look to the roots of aggression.

Aggression starts by fundamentally misunderstanding the basic principle that all of creation is interconnected and interdependent. Instead, aggression is rooted in the false assumption of selfishness, which results in an attitude of exploitation. To heal this foundational ignorance, one must radically change how one views life - and one's actions. This is why David and Sharon, and many others, believe that leading a vegan lifestyle - or working towards one - is a solution. This lifestyle paradigm is rooted in an inclusive understanding that all sentient beings, and our Earth, deserve our mercy and kindness. It also sees that being compassionate with other humans isn't enough - we must go to the root impulse of exploitation in order to heal. And this extends to all of life.

It doesn't take a leap of logic to understand this. Just today, an article in the New York Times talked about how animal abuse is connected to other cruel impulses: Animal Abuse as Clue to Additional Cruelties.

What would a society based in this inclusive understanding of interconnectedness look like? Will Tuttle, PhD., does a beautiful job exploring this question in his inspirational book The World Peace Diet.

Now, I am not saying this is easy or perfect. I personally struggle every day with this. But if we are to truly heal aggression, we need to see the problem clearly first. And then do our best, whatever that is for us right now, to hack away at those ugly roots.