Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) reached nirvana, but he did not stay there. Instead of enjoying the ideal forever, he returned to the human world. Which, as everyone knows, is far from perfect.
But the Buddha did not just join society. Rather, he became a different kind of environment.
To understand this, the idea of catalysis in chemistry is useful. A catalyst does several things:
lowers the activation energy so a reaction can begin,
reduces side effects,
guides the reaction along a more optimal path,
increases the yield of the desired final product.
What matters is that the catalyst itself is not consumed or changed during the reaction. It is there, yet almost not there. Its presence alters the environment, so the reactants act different.
This isn't the usual help you can't tell from violence.
Why does this odd approach work in such varied fields?
When two sides lock in conflict, no exit shows from inside. The pair needs a third. Not as a leader or a judge over them, but as a living example that tension can be endured, and that a fight with something alien can be transformed into harmony through a creative outcome.
"Ha, so it is possible to see, think, act otherwise?!" gazing at the Model that judges not, competes not, asks not, gives not.
For some, the example of the Buddha may feel too esoteric, and the example of a catalyst too down to earth. Find your fit, but catch the core idea:
By holding contradictions within yourself, you quietly change the world.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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