Many toxic events have been happening in the world recently: Extreme weather events, intensifying political tensions, soaring inflation, revolutions and coups, not to mention new strains every other day. As countries fall apart and nations implode, relationships that were the foundation of society no longer hold, as well, as even the structure of the family is being erased. It seems as though people are treating each other with spite and venom.
However, venom does not have to be harmful. There is a good reason that the symbol of medicine features two snakes coiled around a staff. When used wisely, the venom itself becomes the remedy, the antidote for the poison.
We can turn venom into medicine by processing it correctly. We need to adjust the amount and administer only what the body can tolerate, and as a result, we grow stronger.
Therefore, when venom appears between people, we should not be alarmed. We should process it correctly and turn it into a remedy. Were it not for the venom between people, we would not know that our society is ill and needs our attention. Now that we are aware of it, we can begin to take the venom one drop at a time and use it to heal ourselves and our society.
Each drop of venom is a drop of hatred that we feel for one another. When we acknowledge it and acknowledge its toxicity to society, we can rise above it and by strengthening the bonds of mutual concern between us. In this way, the venom makes us stronger rather than sicker.
The human ego is the snake within us. It is ever growing, becoming increasingly cunning and insidious. The bad thoughts about others it instills in us are the venom we must turn into a medicine. We take tiny doses of it and build closeness with others on top of our aversion.
We therefore see that the purpose of the venom is to build love between us. Without the hostility, we would not need to strengthen our relationships, to deepen them and tighten them until they become love.
A mother’s love for her child is natural, but we do not feel this way toward people who are not family. Therefore, the way to develop this feeling is to feel the need for it, to create an impetus that will make us work on building closeness and affection. The only incentive that will make us work on developing love is the revelation of our mutual dislike. This is why the venom is essential for building love, why it is the remedy.
Indeed, we must respect the venom of our egoism and hatred toward others. But while we respect it, we must use it to build a layer of love over each and every drop of ego that appears between us.