The first of four levels of ethical development is the do-no-harm, or “thou shalt not” stage.
We come to the first fleshing out of our relationships with others. As in medicine, the first rule is to do no harm.
The global state of harmlessness consists of acknowledging the humanity of others, an absence of malevolent feelings and refraining from harmful acts. Its value is fairness, its conviction is that there is common ground among us and its attitude is tolerance. Harmlessness is a perfect follow-up to mindfulness, coming before we proceed to the more assertive stages of interpersonal relationships.
Mere harmlessness represents the most rudimentary level of ethical development. The focus is on mere the avoidance of harm. As we progress through the model and the calendar year, we will track the development of positive and assertive virtues like responsibility, generosity and courage, which lead progressively to spirituality. Harmlessness, at level one, is the spirit’s baby step. We could call this the commandment stage of ethics, as in “thou shalt not kill.”
Ahimsa symbol
Real
True Narratives
In counterpoint to ahimsa:
- Anita Anand, The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India’s Quest for Independence (Scribner, 2019): “Anand’s account of the movement for Indian independence draws a contrast between the extremist path chosen by Singh and the nonviolent struggle led by Gandhi, posing a question that hangs over the pages of the book without being asked explicitly: When is violence morally legitimate in a people’s fight against a tyrannical regime?”
Imaginary
Visual Arts
- John Sokol, Ahimsa
Music: songs and other short pieces
- Johann Sebastian Bach (composer), “Sheep May Safely Graze” from Cantata No. 208, "Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre jagd!"
- Nawang Khechog, “Leading the Path of Non-Violence”
Music: Composers, artists, and major works
- Johann Sebastian Bach, Cantata No. 208, Was mir behaft, ist nur die muntre Jagd! (“Hunting Cantata”), BWV 208 (1713) (approx. 33-37’), includes the song commonly known as “sheep may safely graze”. “The message of the verse is simplicity itself—-sheep may graze safely under the shepherd’s eye just as a land may enjoy peace and contentment under a good ruler.” The lyrics throughout the cantata celebrate Prince Christian, to whom Bach was paying obeisance, but the music is peaceful and soothing. Excellent performances include those conducted by Harnoncourt, Foster and Timm.
- Luigi Boccherini, String Sextets, Op. 23, G. 454-459 (1776) (roughly 90’), are gentle works. “The combination of two violins, two violas, and two cellos is . . . lush . . .” Links are to performances of Nos. 1, 2 & 5 by Ensemble 415; and Nos. 4, 1, 6 & 3 by Selier, et. al.
- Georges Bizet, Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers) (1863) (libretto): two friends forswear each other’s company but then are challenged to avert trouble when circumstances bring them back together. “A long time ago, in Kandy, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the two had fallen in love with the same woman, a priestess of Brahma. However, recognizing that this competition for her love would destroy their friendship, they both foreswore her to keep their relationship.” Top audio-recorded performances are conducted by Cluytens, Angelici, Legay & Dens, Prêtre, Sarabio, Vanza & Cotrubas in 1977, and Bloch, Dubois, Sempey & Fuchs in 2017. Performances with video are conducted by Schmeisser and Brno.
- The Renaissance composer Anthony Holborne’s music is remarkably calm and gentle, owing in part to his simple themes and avoidance of percussion instruments: Jordi Savall & Hespèrion XXI presented some of it on an album entitled “The teares of the muses 1599” (1999) (66’).
- Mauro Giuliani composed works for guitar in duet or small ensemble, including Grand Duo Concertante in A Major, Op. 85 (1817) (approx. 20-21’); Sérénade in G major for flute and guitar, Op. 127 (1827) (approx. 13’); Grande Sérénade in D Major for flute and guitar, Op. 82 (1817) (approx. 18’); Gran Duetto Concertante in A Major, Op. 52 (1814) (approx. 14’). Both the flute and the guitar give these works an inobtrusive feel.
Fictional Narratives
Novels:
- Han Kang, Human Acts: A Novel (Hogarth, 2017): “Though it might not have been Han’s intention, her novel reads not only as a lyrical post-mortem on violence but also a call to counter that violence. So, how do we keep humanity ‘as one thing and not another’? If humanity is under assault, and violence, oppression and authoritarianism rise to the surface, then is it not our human responsibility to act and resist, however forcefully, with everything in our power?”
Poetry
- Dorothy Parker, “A Very Short Song”