Maintaining an attitude of goodwill means we understand the total interdependence of all life on our planet. We cannot simultaneously wish good things for ourselves and hope for the demise of those with whom we disagree. Imagine how different our world would be if our attitude toward someone who holds an opposing opinion was gratitude, because it presents us all with an opportunity to learn something new.

Maintaining an attitude of goodwill means comprehending that whatever diminishes anyone of us, diminishes ourselves. Whatever uplifts anyone of us, uplifts ourselves.

Maintaining an attitude of goodwill also means we must be vigilant in refraining from blame. There are many examples of the insidious role of blaming within families and, certainly, with some of the most persistent conflicts on our planet. When we resort to blaming, we ignore our own faults and hold others culpable for our disputes. Our energy goes into the past, draining into reproach and condemnation instead of resolution.

We can see that maintaining an attitude of goodwill provides the vehicle for moving from malice to kindness, from blame to responsibility, from problem to solution.

When we define an enemy we demonize the person or group, seeing them as the “other,” as something less than ourselves, as something less than human. This is a totally inaccurate perception.

When we think about it, many of us can easily comprehend this when it comes to people of different nationalities. For example, we know that defining Iranians or North Koreans as “the enemy” is overly simplistic and ultimately dehumanizing.

However, this Core Practice calls upon us to apply this concept to people who hold the view that war is desirable or a necessary evil. When we preoccupy ourselves with an enemy such as the Commander-in-Chief or others in the government who advocate and wage war, we drain our own energy and deplete our own initiative to work for positive change.

The adage “hard on the problem, soft on the person” is another way of understanding this concept. For example, we can stand firm in our position that war is unacceptable, while treating the person who holds the opposing view with respect, avoiding the fruitless practices of blaming, belittling and stereotyping.