The Other Within You / by Alexander Lyadov

Unknown photographer

There are two ways for divided parts to feel whole again.

The first is to agree on who’s to blame for all misfortune. Once the “stranger” is purged, relief floods, calm holds.

But unity never lasts long. The victim must be offered again. To duck the blame for blood, they forge an imperative — sacred rite, law, duty, or cruel god.

This method has always been the most popular. Aztec sacrifices, the Spanish Inquisition, China’s Cultural Revolution, and today’s cancel culture—all one kin.

Worse yet, the individual acts the same way toward himself.

The second way is rare because it demands a shift in worldview. Instead of exile, it calls for the creative integration of the “stranger.” You must see not a threat in otherness, but a hidden good—for everyone.

That becomes possible only when, on one hand, a man is weary of inner violence, and on the other, inspired by the idea: In Sterquilinis Invenitur—“In filth it will be found.”

Something in you annoys, disgusts, or frightens you. Stop and ask: “What if this ugly form hides a precious meaning?”

Violence is easy. Try showing love toward the Other within you.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander


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