Can power and kindness go hand in hand?

May be this is what Oskar Schindler realized when he let his empathy guide him during the most disturbing times ever in the history of the world. Not until he found himself moved by the Jews who believed him to be a “Savior” and his establishment which was primarily built for making profits as a “Safe Haven”, something stirred within, it dawned upon him that if unintentionally he could do so much good , how significant the impact would be if he could channelize his intention in saving a thousand or so lives. There was no stopping him then. But it never was easy for him.

A Still from the movie , Schindler’s List

You see the truth is always harsher , we all witness the truth , some seem indifferent to it, while some take the onus upon themselves to make a difference. This decision to arrive at taking up some kind of responsibility is often faced with conflicts both external and internal. The odds are always against the ones who are bothered by the truth in all its brutality. In the movie we see how at variance too Goeth’s own thoughts were when faced with the question of establishing power through infliction of fear, or through compassion , who for a moment though could let his humaneness (no matter how feeble) flicker for a while by making him drop the veil of the devil , the brute, nonetheless soon succumbed to his older ways. The raging fire in his head and the various preconceived notions and biases that he had, outweighed the meek gleam of tenderness. He didn’t want to be at the mercy of his own vulnerability , because for most people tenderness is wrongly synonymous with cowardice. It was not something that attributed to making men strong. Such qualities were not aspired. Both were spectators , both knew. Yet it is not the knowledge of the reality per se that propels you to cut through the purdah, it is the awareness , once the awareness hits you (it does hit you like a thundering bolt to be honest,)there is no going back, there is no undoing that happens. It is only when you severe yourself from your ego, can you liberate yourself and the world around you. Because then you are not the one standing at an altar neither does anything pull you back, because then you know you belong among all the others.

As Alan Watts rightfully puts it:

“There is a price to be paid for every increase in consciousness. We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.”