We live in a time where it’s common to have unbridled admiration for your chosen political leader, who can do no wrong, and equally unbridled hatred toward opposing political leaders, who can do no right.
The common wisdom is that this hyper-partisan situation is worse now than it used to be, and I suspect that that’s true.
I don’t think this highly polarized state of affairs is at all healthy. In fact I think we need to find ways to reverse this trend. We need to do this as a society, which means that we need to do so as individuals. The individual I have most influence over is myself, so that’s where I have to start.
Now, I have to confess that over the last few years I’ve harbored ill will toward Donald Trump. There’s been plenty of dislike, and even loathing — I find him to be a morally repellant individual on many levels — but dislike isn’t the same as ill will. My understanding of Buddhist ethics is that disliking someone is morally neutral.
Having ill will or hatred goes further. It means, at the very least, wishing for someone to suffer or taking pleasure in their suffering. It may even mean wishing to see them harmed. Often it means being prepared to believe the worst about their motivations and automatically believing any negative stories about them. If those stories turn out to be untrue perhaps we don’t care. All that’s important to us is that the story is harmful to our opponent. Ill will tends to make us casual with the truth.
But I have to confess, that I’ve not just disliked Donald Trump, but have had ill will for him. I’ve taken pleasure in his discomfort. I’ve even wished him harm. From the point of view of Buddhist ethics, this is of course not OK. It’s unskillful, and will cause harm not just for others but will be a source of suffering for me as well.
Perhaps some of you reading this support Donald Trump and are displeased to hear that I’ve disliked and had ill will for him. Perhaps some of you dislike Trump even more than I do and are alarmed by the title I’ve chosen, thinking that it means I’ve gone all “MAGA.” I wouldn’t be surprised if a few people cancel their subscriptions without even reading the article.
In reality all I want to do is to share how I’ve learned to drop my ill will. I’ve found that I’m able to love Donald Trump. I still think that morally speaking he’s a horrible individual, and I don’t think he should have power over any kind of organization — certainly not an entire country — but my emotions around him have softened. Bringing this about wasn’t particularly hard. It just required a shift in the way I thought about my relationship to him. Perhaps, if you have ill will for him, what I did will help you too.
So what did I do? Simply, what I did was to imagine that Donald Trump was my wayward older brother. I think most families have a black sheep — someone who, for example, doesn’t respect the normal “rules” of reciprocity and who is prone to exploiting others, or who perhaps lies, cheats, or steals. Perhaps they’re an outright criminal. I know that my own family has (or had) someone like that.
It’s not invariably the case, but often ties of family soften our attitudes. So when I imagine Donald Trump as my wayward elder brother, out there breaking norms, breaking the law, and creating havoc, even if I believe he deserves to go to prison I’m no longer gleeful about that. I now have mixed feelings. If he’s my wayward older brother I can imagine visiting him in prison, not to gloat but to see if he’s going OK, and to be a support. I imagine hearing him protesting about being framed, and instead of being angry I feel compassion for him in his denial and delusion.
This approach has certainly been working for me. I feel much softer around Trump. My heart’s more open. Reading the news is less scary. I’m suffering less.
Perhaps this will help you, too. I’ve had to keep reminding myself to adopt this perspective, because emotional habits such ill will are strong and persistent. But every time I think of Donald Trump as my wayward elder brother, I feel compassion for him rather than hatred.
Perhaps this approach has been influenced by the Buddhist teaching that all beings have, at various times in the endless cycle of samsara, been one’s mother and father, brother, sister, sone, and daughter. That’s certainly not a teaching I take literally, but I imagine its purpose was to stimulate the same kind of attitude-shift that I’ve been talking about.
Let me be clear that I don’t approve of many of Donald Trump’s actions. He’s done many, many things that I consider to be unethical or illegal. But I no longer have ill will toward him.
Sometimes people cling to their hatred because they think that they need to hate their enemies in order to oppose them. But that’s not the case. You not hate and still tell right from wrong. You can not hate and still want to see your wayward elder brother prevented from causing further harm. You can not hate and still believe it’s right that they face the legal and moral consequences of their actions.
We don’t need hate. In fact we’re better off without it. I know I am.
As the Dhammapada says, “In this world, hatred is never appeased by hatred. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is an eternal truth.”
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Thank you for this post. It touches me deeply. I have been quite shocked to observe that I actually take considerable pleasure in harboring what you call “Ill will”. It makes life simpler. It makes living simpler. After your post, I have decided to turn one person a day into a family member, for whom I am concerned. My ex is on the list. My 3rd grade art teacher’s on the list. Mr Trump is definitely on the list. My former boss. My friend’s ex, who mistreated her. My daughter’s teacher who never recognized her potential and robbed her of self-confidence. Etc etc. I will have plenty of work to do. Thanks to you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
I’m glad it was helpful. Today, reading about world leaders mocking Trump, my heart broke for him. Previously I would have taken pleasure in this happening. (I still want to see him out of office as quickly as possible, however.)
A wonderful and extremely helpful piece. I will have to substitute another political figure or figures (I don’t like Donald Trump but he is not the focus of my ill will) but you really captured what’s going on among so many of us these days – certainly it is true of me. The point about taking pleasure in the discomfort of another, wishing that other harm….that says it all.Thank you.
I think you have put this in a very easy way to remove hatred and ill will, and still not be supportive of the things a person disagrees with. I will be using this method when I see the hate and/or ill will creep in
I hope it works as well for you as it has been for me, Lynn.
This was very helpful to me ask I dislike Trump and many of his supporters and have often been at a quandry as to how this fits into Buddhist practice. Deplorable as he is I noe regard him as a mentally disturbed and verybself delyded individual who deserve compassion. His refusal to face reality and his cognitive dissonance must put his subconscious into a turmoil.
thank you for this Bodhi, very relevant for us here in the UK as well unfortunately.
One practice I have tried and intend to continue with is to recognise the suffering that the person who I revile is suffering. To recognise that their clear desire to control, to be admired, to want to posess so much must be a cause of great unease and even fear in their life.
Sometimes it helps to read the biography of the person concerned and to become more aware of the circumstances , maybe in their childhood, that have shaped them. Then to imagine how they would be if they were trily content and satisfied with their lives, how they may behave and how many people would benefit if these distraught public figures were truly fulfilled.
So everyone has an interest in their well-being as all woild benefit if they were tnose who revile were less fearful for themselves.
And no doubt I benefit as well, lower blood pressure, less gloomy feelings and waking too early with my own fears and resentments.
Tim, Bristol UK
It’s definitely difficult to not think bad thoughts about Trump. I agree with your article and I have been trying to practice Loving Kindness meditations with him as the ‘difficult’ person. I don’t harbor ill will..at least I try not to, but he is such a disappointment and embarrassment. But then I feel pity and compassion as he is only the way he is because of the way he was brought up and surrounds himself with ‘yes men’. So let’s just hope he can also find a little compassion, patience and tolerance in his own heart. Thank you Bodhi.