There is a passage in the Dhammapada, an ancient Buddhist text:
“The fool desires unearned honor, seeks status among peers, power in his own domain, and lavish devotion from others.”
It goes on to say: “The fool acts with pride, causing his desire and arrogance to grow.”
Our goal here is not to study Buddhism as an academic subject. Instead, our purpose is to explore a philosophy that can make the world even a little more peaceful. We look to the teachings of Buddhism and various philosophers for hints on how we should think and live to bring about peace. When viewed from this perspective, these ancient words resonate surprisingly directly with us today.
Acting out of unchecked desire and arrogance directly drives the world away from peace. When leaders of nations harbor desire and arrogance, it gives rise to dictatorship. Of course, a form of peace can exist under a dictatorship, but such peace is surely limited in both geographic scope and time. Attacking and eliminating those who disagree with you is clearly the exact opposite of the peace we desire. However, this is not just an issue at the national level. The same applies to our personal daily lives.
Ultimately, I believe what is needed for peace is “harmony.” Desire and arrogance are always on the exact opposite side of harmony. Being human, everyone naturally wants to be thought well of by others and prefers not to be beneath anyone else. The desire to become more prominent also arises. Comparing ourselves to others and wanting to stand above them may indeed be a very natural human emotion. Yet, when we become aware of these feelings, we can gently set them aside and choose not to act on them.
We are not all that special. We are simply one person among many—just a single piece in the larger framework of the world. As one of those pieces, whether we maintain harmony with our surroundings or create friction is up to us. Which direction the world moves in may well depend on how each of us controls our own small desires.