This book is a mixed bag. I read this at a time I really needed some of its lessons, when I was consumed in depression over the state of the world and starting to feel far too much hatred.

Obviously, this book takes a Buddhist approach, but one doesn’t need to be a believer in Buddhism to learn from it. As an atheist, I found the sections on the interbeing of the world to ring true. We are all made out of the same matter, formed all together.

So much of activist thought is on raging at the system, but this book takes a very different approach. Thich teaches acceptance of all, even the worst of humanity (he names the Koch brothers as an example). A firm distinction between fighting someone’s actions, versus continuing to see them and accept them as a part of the interbeing of the universe. 

At times, these teachings cross into complacency. In the worst example, Thich speaks of healing the brutal colonization of Palestine by having Palestinians and Israelis listen to each other’s concerns while hanging out together. 

This is where the doctrine of peace above all is hopelessly passive. We can acknowledge the shared interbeing of everyone, we can work not to hate, without insisting that this is the solution against violent oppressors. 

The example of a child needing to have compassion and patience with a parent who is constantly raging at them encapsulates the problem with this blanket doctrine. 

The mentality of maintaining the peace leads to keeping abusers in power. Some people need to be confronted and fought, and it does not mean you are falling into hatred by doing so. Making the world better simply by being the better person is not applicable in many cases. 

That said, there is great value in this book too. It’s true that many activists do get caught up in hatred and despair, and could do with remembering why it is we care. Activist burnout is such a widespread issue, and Buddhist teachings can help find meaning and peace even in the worst of struggles. 

The truth is, we are not going to eradicate suffering, and there will always be struggles to overcome. Finding inner peace is essential to maintaining the will and energy to keep going. 

A Buddhist approach may not work for everyone, but I have found it can help me, even if I struggle with meditation. Acceptance and peace amid whatever situation you find can only benefit you, as long as you don’t fall into passivity. His example of how finding that acceptance helped him have the rationality to be able to confront a major hurdle in rescuing refugees encapsulates how much being able to do this can benefit people in their work. 

I think the main issue with this book is the lack of nuance. It has wonderful ideas that could help a lot of people, but I’m trying to make absolute claims in every scenario, it fails. While preaching nuance, Thich falls into an absolutist doctrine himself.

Take the parts of this book that help you find inner peace to keep going.