It is Incumbent on the Powerful

As I’m running past the cornfields near our home, I often notice stunted specimens growing closer to the road. Sprouted from seed fallen just outside the farmer’s field, these plants must work their roots into untilled soil, stand largely alone beneath the scorching sun, and make do without the fertilizer provided to the other plants of the field. They may still bear fruit, though perhaps not as large as their advantaged neighbors, or they may use up all their energy simply staying alive. Nature always does her best, but life is seldom fair.

Edge of the Cornfield

Each time I notice something like this, I think of a beautiful teaching from the Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, which I’ll paraphrase here: If the lettuce you planted isn’t growing well, it doesn’t help to blame it. You look for reasons it’s not doing well. It may need fertilizer, more water, or less sun. On the other hand, if we have problems with our friends or family, we often blame the other person. Blaming doesn’t help the situation, though, and neither does trying to persuade the person using reason or argument. Only understanding will help. If you understand the other person and their situation, and show them that you understand, you can love. With understanding, the situation will change.

Thich Nhat Hanh is thinking holistically, of course. When prompted, we can usually reflect likewise on the troubled behavior of a family member or friend. We recognize how their environment is affecting them. We know what resources they may lack. We’re aware of how their upbringing prompts them to respond in the way that they do.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the behavior of those outside our circle of care, our ability to understand breaks down. Our compassion reaches its limit, and our thinking becomes more judgmental. We may tell someone who lacks resources or the knowledge to use them “to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” We might advise someone to “work hard and play by the rules” when they can’t find work and they only know the rules of the street.

If those of us with power and privilege want peace, it is incumbent on us to understand the reasons for its absence. We delude ourselves pretending that the status quo is good and just and that fault lies only with the individual who is struggling. We have a soaring cost of living that’s out of sync with wages, for instance. We have a job market that’s out of sync with the acquired skills and education of many. We have technological development that’s out of sync with the needs of most. These are problems that only the privileged and powerful can fix. We can’t expect the least powerful and least resourced to solve them by themselves so that we may live in peace.

What are the root causes of school shootings? We’re in the midst of interconnected crises of isolation, meaninglessness, gun accessibility, and lack of access to mental health services. We’ll not have peace until we resolve them. What are the root causes of domestic terrorism? We’re in a post-truth era of conspiracy theories and political vitriol, and we’ll not have peace until we find out once again how to communicate authentically. Many with privilege and power these days think they can maintain their status and position by resorting to blatant demagoguery while letting the “little people” around them deal with the consequences. We will never know peace if we allow ourselves to be led by such people.

Some people pretend not to understand the true nature, interconnectedness, and complexity of the problems we face. They proffer simplistic solutions that are either ineffectual or lead to even greater suffering. As Upton Sinclair once noted: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” Yes, when our perceived interests are furthered by our lack of understanding, we’re capable of putting on an act that will fool even ourselves! Regardless of the quality of our acting, however, we’ll not know peace until we show that we truly understand.

Prejudice gets in the way of understanding for many. It prompts us to bypass dialogue, enquiry, and reflection on an end-run towards judgment and dismissiveness. We think we know all about a person because we know a little bit, or we think we know all people with certain characteristics because we know one. Remaining curious and open will do wonders to reign in prejudice. We’ll not know peace as long as prejudice guides our thinking.  

Fear, perhaps more than anything else, gets in the way of our understanding. It clouds the mind like the strongest of drugs. We all deal with fear to at least some extent, but some of us are more constitutionally fearful than others. A good many others allow their fears to be stoked by politicians intent on swaying votes and news media intent on grabbing views and harvesting clicks. We’ll not know peace as long as we allow ourselves to be manipulated by fear.

It is incumbent on the powerful to have a holistic view of the world and the problems humankind has created. And, yes, if you’re reading this, I’m including you in that number! It is incumbent on the powerful to further clear-eyed understanding—unobscured by prejudice and fear. The world we live in is full of confusion and tumult. One of the greatest gifts we can give is to walk through it in a way that fosters clarity and light and greater understanding. May each of us do our part.

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This post is in the Power, Practice, and Peace series.

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Images

Edge of the Cornfield courtesy of the author. 

 

Copyright 2025 by Mark Robert Frank