premises, premises ...

A couple of nights ago as I lay in bed  trying (unsuccessfully) to clear my mind so I could fall asleep, I realized  that in most major cities of the world there exists thriving examples that illustrate perfectly the premise of my previous post.  Unfortunately, they are called "gangs".  This realization pretty well dumped water on that already oxygen deprived ember.
The bright spot was a comment posted by C. Gay that quoted the Dalai Lama.  I happen to be a sucker for the Dalai  Lama's teachings, and have more than once searched the web or for examples that I could use for whatever point I was about to argue or just to ponder in my own existence.  Anyway, to paraphrase the quote, it essentially suggests that rather than punching, shooting, or otherwise maiming someone who has wronged you it would be far more useful to get to know this person.
Let's face it, this guy has more wisdom in his exiled pinky finger than I've got between my northern and southern extremities.  His understanding of human nature is certainly extraordinary and is thoroughly incorporated into his teachings.  If a majority of the world, especially its leaders, followed his teachings, this would certainly be a far happier, safer and saner place to live.  Despite that, I find my mind wandering, as it does, around this quote and the premises upon which it is built.
My thoughts are often well illustrated and in this case seemed a bit like a scene from a play.  Visualize with me a scene where a man's wife has recently been killed by a religious zealot.  Despite his grief and rage at the attacker, he remembers the Dalai Lama's teachings and decides instead of exacting revenge, he will invite this man over for a civil dinner where they can get to know each other.  In this way he hopes to gain understanding into the painful life this man must certainly have experienced.  Apprehension and nerves flail in his body as the minutes count down to dinner.  The attacker arrives precisely on time and glancing around anxiously he pulls out a gun and summarily eliminates the only witness to his previous crime.  The curtain falls.

But there is another scene!  This one is in a war torn country where a small village has just been taken by  NATO troops.  In the gunfight, a villager lost his wife to a soldier's bullet.  Despite his grief and rage at the man responsible for his wife's death, he remembers the Dalai Lama's teachings and decides instead of picking up his rifle, he will invite the soldier over for a civil dinner where they can get to know each other.  In this way he hopes to gain understanding  as to why this man thinks he can come to a foreign country and kill innocent civilians. Despite great apprehension, the two do meet for dinner.  After the man tells the soldier about his wife and his love for her the soldier breaks down and sobs. The soldier talks of his ideals and dreams of a world at peace. Dinner continues well into the night and as the curtain closes it is clear they are both visibly touched by the poignancy of their respective situations.

I believe the second scene would be the far more common one.  I would like to think that most humans, despite strong beliefs or painful experiences, would eventually succumb to the humanity of the other's plight and they could find a way to coexist.  Unfortunately, there some people that are so angry, mentally ill, or otherwise blinded to the value of human life that they would take advantage of any perceived weaknesses and attack mercilessly.  Further, I think in many cultures these are the people that will rise to power and subsequently lead the dutifully loyal soldiers into a murderous war.
It seems to me that the Dalai Lama's thoughts require the premise that both parties will act in a sane, rational fashion.  This is probably a valid assumption for the majority of interactions I will ever personally encounter in my own life and thus is probably sage counsel for my life.  But how does a society come to terms with the ideals of its greatest thinkers versus the depraved rage of a minority scattered about the globe?  I certainly can't begin to fathom any sort of sensible solutions.  I long for a world free of war but feel a guilty comfort knowing that I have the epitome of destructive technology keeping enemies at bay thus allowing me to drive my SUV to Starbucks for a latte fix without getting shot at by Jihadists.