Citation

Brown, Andrew James. “But I Say to You: Love Not Only Your Own Countrymen, but Also the People of Other Nations.” Blogspot. Caute, 28 Feb. 2026, https://andrewjbrown.blogspot.com/2026/02/but-i-say-to-you-love-not-only-your-own.html.

Quotes

• species: #species/quote
• themes:

The fifth commandment. In the previous law it was said: do good to your own people and do harm to the foreigner. But I say to you: love not only your own countrymen, but also the people of other nations. Let others hate you, let them attack you and insult you; but you must praise them and do good to them. If you are only good to your own countrymen, then you are like everyone else who is good to their own countrymen; and it is because of this that wars occur. But you should treat all nations equally, and if you do, you will be the sons [and daughters] of the father. All people are his children, consequently all people should be your brothers [and sisters]. And so, this is the fifth commandment: Keep the same law in regard to other nations that I have asked you to keep amongst yourselves. For the father of all people there is no such thing as different nations, there are no different kingdoms either: all are brothers [and sisters], all are sons [and daughters] of the one father. Don’t create differences between people based on nations and kingdoms.

Collations

Literature notes

Like I often do when think about nuance, I ask myself first, what am I sure of then what am I unsure of. I am sure the universe is one whole and that thinking of it as such is helpful. I also believe that this wholeness is something I could call "my Self" or "the true Self." These phrases suggest that I am part of a larger identity whose interests and well-being are also mine. I am also sure that that larger Self constitutes everything: objects, living things, and human beings. Somehow, I'm reminded of that line from The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy: "So much beauty we need to look after." The virtue I need to cultivate is stewardship toward the whole, which implies that I avoid anything that could harm it. This is an ideal. My actions aren't always nurturing and I do things that could be destructive of the whole without me even knowing it. And so, my intention is to get better at taking care of this larger Self.

The problem starts to creep in when parts of that larger Self clearly does harm, directly or indirectly, with intentionality toward other parts of it and that part—a smaller expression of the larger Self—feels no remorse. How do I respond to that part of the whole that I ought to protect?

First, I feel like I have to clearly establish my intentions and goals for the larger whole, the larger Self, as I have articulated above. I need to make my position public and clear. Silence is not helpful here.

Second, I think it is okay that given my commitment to stewarding the whole, to be also clear of my partiality for peace and nonviolence and my belief in the coexistence of pluralities. While the whole is one, its components are complex and free and always growing. Natura naturans, tariki, the Great Life happens and flows and I recognize that it is impossible to control it. This inevitably leads to plurality and diversity. Another thing I'm sure of is that to steward the whole implies that I steward its innate plurality and diversity. Stewardship of these innate characteristics necessitate a personal cultivation to openness and flow, a life that also follows constant change—a jiyū shūkyō way of being in the world.

To protect plurality and diversity, therefore, is to never be attached to a certain position too much so that I feed it with strength and influence that it starts gobbling up other positions and it becomes the ruling position. I think that when we give too much strength to something it breaks balance in the whole and ultimately leads to suffering.

However, I need to recognize that I now live in a truly unbalanced world, where capitalism and the government of wealthy countries like the United States, move to protect its way of being and crushes those that oppose it. My expression and commitment to stewardship, which is love itself, therefore, is challenged.

Should I express clear opposition to elements of the whole that cause suffering to others? YES. Absolutely. And a clear establishment of position is necessary.

The question is this: How can I continue to love this small but powerful parts of the larger whole that clearly causes suffering? If love and impartiality and stewardship is the goal, is an active and intentional campaign to destroy the erring parts logical?

These parts of Tolstoy's quote are particularly challenging to think about:

Let others hate you, let them attack you and insult you; but you must praise them and do good to them.

Prompts