St. Maarten Private Eye

Violence comes from lack of right education

To commemorate International Woman's Day, the meeting Friday March 9 at the Cultural Center in Philipsburg was a success, well thought out and organised. MC Dorothy Richardson was very entertaining, the children playing the Sint Maarten song were beautiful and the speech by guest speaker the Hon Mme Justice Desiree P. Bernard full of information. She mentioned many facts about numerous international conferences, agreements, laws, bylaws and the Caribbean Court of Justice. Her fact packed speech was especially about violence against women. Domestic violence, violence in the workplace, in war and peace, violence everywhere. Violence against men was briefly mentioned, and although men are not often abused by women, it does happen. After the informative speech came a question and answer session, were it became clear that Sint Maarten is no member of Caricom and so can not benefit from the Caribbean Court of Justice. The English speaking island's citizens can go to the CCJ after local justice is not served satisfactory and all other legal ways exhausted.
However, the evening did not get to the root of the problem. I say the root cause of all the violence related misery is Lack of Right Education. Dorothy is a teacher for children and I mentioned to her the most important thing to teach, that is the observation and control of the self. Unfortunately she had no time to go into my remark at that time.

Our culture is based upon the other, not upon the self. See what the other has, see how the other is doing, look how the other is dressed, what car he drives, how he lives, and then comment on it... Western religion teaches a God that is in Heaven, an unknown, imaginary place somewhere outside the self. God is pictured as if It looks down from Heaven and makes decisions and is responsible for everything. There is even a popular song that sings that "God is watching you". Sins are forgiven by this God and sins can be repeated again and again. Herein lays the grotesque evil that brings people to stupid behavior and violence. "She made me do it, she made me mad, she drove me crazy!" In our religion based culture it is always the other who is to blame, never the self.

I say that every one is responsible for everything that happens in that persons life. Nobody can be blamed for ones actions, and that is the fact. Religion and government work hand in hand to keep the people in the dark about this. To be self responsible makes people independent. To realize that God is [inside] the self makes the church superfluous. To realize that we self are responsible makes government superfluous. When schools should teach that one self is the only one responsible for all that happens in one's life, our world should become a better place in just one generation.

"Know Thyself" is the Holy shout, but teachings of how to get to Know this Self are nowhere to be found. There are 2600 year old teachings about how to find the Self and be in control of the self. The Master who discovered this explains it easily and understandably but He is nowhere mentioned, He is almost condemned as being bad by our Western religious powers. Followers of his teachings never started a war, and we hardly ever hear of violence in countries where His teachings are practised. This Enlightened teacher was Gautama Siddhartha, later called the Buddha. Jesus mentioned these teachings in the gospel of Thomas, about which we hear little or nothing.

To observe the self, practically, as if one is beside the self and watches over the self is easy and efficient. I myself, right now, observe how I write, how I sit, and later how I will walk, talk, cook, drive and also how and what I think! That is all there is to it. Observation of one's own thoughts leads to control over one's very thoughts, which leads to control over anger, greed, arrogance and behavior in general.

If I was the boss, I should make Self Observation Teachings mandatory in all schools. It will bring peace and happiness to the suffering majority who at present think that God and Government are in charge. Remember that You yourself is in charge of you, nobody else is, never forget that please!

Thank you for not thinking.
Better to rise than to fall in love.