Commit to kindness!
No doubt about it—it’s the hardest thing to do.
Humanly impossible!
And yet it’s the only path to freedom! A guaranteed victory!
I know it’s impossible, and yet I say, “I’m open to it!”
Like the Virgin Mary: “Thy will be done!”
The universal golden rule of unconditional love—without judgment or condemnation—is found in all the
foundational texts of the great religious and even non-religious traditions, as well as in ways of living in
the face of extremely harsh systems where a human life is worth nothing. In the face of possible
nothingness, it is humanity’s ultimate source of strength!
I quote:
“Do not do to others what you would not want done to you, Tobit 4:15”; this formula is limited but an
indispensable starting point for anyone who wants to change the world.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12) commits us to a deliberate effort
to sow the reciprocity of love—where the love we give is met with the love we desire.
“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you!” (Matthew 5:44). This is
the supreme act par excellence—humanly impossible, yet just—that is, a conscious act of turning back
when one grasps the futility of violence and the death it brings.An act of liberation, yet madness for those
who demand vengeance and chain themselves to an endless spiral. An act that undoes the accumulated
knots, loop by loop, until the bare thread of abundant Life is rediscovered.
Where do I stand in my own battles? In my twisted, justified, paralyzing spirals? These constant abuses of
power against myself, from this ego that hopes for a reward—the adrenaline necessary for my survival,
that fleeting moment of pleasure that plunges me into depression, at the mercy of my own hatred...
I’ve come to tell myself that I won’t succeed unless I allow myself to be transformed, like Violaine, the
leper:
“Ah, how beautiful this world is, and how happy I am!” Paul Claudel, *The Annunciation to Mary*, NRF, 1912.
So, a new work is taking shape; I am not its author.
All I need to do is receive it and say: “May your will be a celebration!” So be it!
(Violaine was desired by Pierre de Craon, a stonemason and cathedral builder, who contracted leprosy; she withdrew from his
desire but gave him a kiss of compassion and pity. Her father left the household to return to Jerusalem as a personal of ering,
and he promised Violaine to Jacques. Her sister betrays her by taking her fiancé, Jacques, who had abandoned her because she
had become a leper following the kiss with Pierre de Craon. Through her intercession, he is healed of his leprosy; she brings
her sister’s dead child back to life; and she dies of leprosy upon her father’s return from the Holy Land, as a sacrifice for all:
Violaine—a leper cast aside—forgives, sows Life, and dies while blessing others!
What freedom! What joy!
In his correspondence with Hitler, Gandhi extended his regards to him: “Dear friend,” he said, “for I have
no enemies; if you are not the monster people describe, many of your actions are monstrous and an affront
to human dignity! ” This attitude of non-judgment and respect does not preclude the essential questioning
of those who act wrongly; rather, it invites them to embrace the radical nature of the experience of
freedom. An invitation, in this case, ignored by Hitler, a victim of the adrenaline fueling his murderous
madness!
27 years in prison for Mandela! Enough to drive anyone mad! Or perhaps enough to allow oneself to be
transformed from within and to understand the other, to abandon all spirit of vengeance, and to restore
meaning to a life that had been buried and imprisoned. An entire people seeking its dignity in an open
conflict against the proponents of apartheid.
“Even in the worst moments of prison, when my comrades and I were at our wits’ end, I always saw a
glimmer of humanity in one of the guards—perhaps for just a second—but that was enough to reassure
me and allow me to carry on.” *The Long Walk to Freedom*, 1996.
I could say, “Our dignity lies in forgiveness and in building a new humanity—united and diverse—driven
by a determination to triumph over ourselves,” and that could be a quote from Mandela!
Etty Hillesum, during the deadliest war in human history, knowing that her departure for Auschwitz was
imminent, said to Jan Bool, a friend: “And the wickedness of others is also within us. And I see no other
solution—truly no other solution—than to turn inward and root out all this rot from our souls.” I no
longer believe that we can correct anything in the outside world unless we have first corrected it within
ourselves. The only lesson of this war is that it has taught us to look within ourselves and nowhere else.”A
Life Turned Upside Down, Éditions du Seuil, 1985.
Friends who have consciously chosen the path of Ahimsa, you have taken a tremendous step that will lead
you to your most subtle innermost depths and your limits. You have made yourselves available!
Be steadfast; victory over yourselves is the ultimate hope.
Jai Jagat. Victory for the world!
Happiness and joy are waiting for you.
Louis Campana, September 2026 !
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