We must learn to build bridges between people, cultures, ideologies, and nations in times of war and peace. The Buddha instructed us to find the Middle Way, the path between the opposites, whatever these may be.
Insisting on the path between the polar opposites dictates listening and understanding each side while, at the same time, insisting on holding the tension until a new and third bridging point of view, solution, or possibility is birthed.
Who are those courageous enough to resist polarization without remaining neutral? Our first course of action is to recognize the limits of our capacity to think in terms of the whole. Thus, we can identify the gaps that must necessarily exist in our limited perception and understanding. This awareness opens the door to new possibilities for learning from and with others, stresses the need for constructive dialogue, and makes possible a new way of being and relating.
The world needs bridge builders focused on the good of the whole and refusing to take a side that further distances us from the common good. Remaining neutral evades the responsibility to suffer with others and to learn how best to aid humanity's goal of right relations and universal goodwill for all.
In every household, workplace, and community, we can begin to make an effort to connect, collaborate, and, with loving understanding, renew our spirits so that, together, we can forge a new path that results in a greater Beauty, Truth, and Good for all people and all nations.
May the Peace and Blessings of the Holy Ones reach the hearts and minds of all bridge builders who suffer to bring about goodwill to all.