Hatred of evil is itself a kind of bondage to evil. The way out is through understanding, not through hate. I am not advocating non-resistance. But I am saying that resistance, if it is to be effective in preventing the spread of evil, should be combined with the greatest degree of understanding and the smallest degree of force that is compatible with the survival of the good things that we wish to preserve.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Knowledge and Wisdom (1954)
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"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it." (Letter from Albert Einstein to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, March 24, 1954)
As this statement indicates, wisdom is not something that can be obtained automatically through education; it is something we acquire over the course of our lives through our own effort. When we are dominated by emotion, we cannot make calm and rational judgments. For example, the saying "Hate the monk, and you will hate even his robe" illustrates a state in which emotion overrides reason. When such a state goes too far, it can lead to regrettable consequences. The cause of hatred may even be based on misunderstanding. Within a family, misunderstandings can eventually be resolved, and reconciliation prevents serious problems.
However, when the situation involves relations with a neighboring country, the stakes are much higher. Even if we do not directly harm others, the power of public opinion to which we belong can worsen relations between the two countries, and in the worst case, lead to an outbreak of violence or even war.
In such circumstances, politicians who incite conflict to gain support stand in direct opposition to those who calmly attempt to persuade and earn support. The former either lack the ability to persuade voters rationally and logically, or they give up on persuasion, assuming that many voters are foolish. Few voters, of course, think of themselves as foolish.
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