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There is no Them, Just Us
This page consists of miscellaneous springboards for reflection on two simple ideas. One is that police officers can play a very important role in compassionate cities as role models for compassionate living. The other is they, along with government officials and business-people and social workers and 'regular people,' deserve training in spiritual literacy.
I borrow the idea of spiritual literacy from an interfaith organization called Spirituality and Practice. Training in spiritual literacy is more then learning about the world's religions or even about what counts for "spirituality" among citizens. It is finding within yourself reservoirs of hope and inner peace, joy and mindfulness, imagination and presence. Police officers, like all of us, deserve training in the arts of such finding.
Many sectors of the society in which I live are afraid of police officers in general. Some among them, especially people of color, have been victims of police bullying and brutality. There is no excuse for this. If you have been bullied, you can't help but think of police as "them." And when you are in law enforcement, you find yourself immersed in a culture that likewise sees things in such contrasts as well, You may think in terms of "us" versus "them."
There is something understandable, but also false, about the dichotomy. In the larger scheme of things, "there is no them, just us." Here I am quoting a police officer herself, the Buddhist and dharma teacher Cheri Maples. The truth is that police are human beings, and that many of them want to live centered, creative lives that are of service to the world. But the can best do so in the larger context of cities and towns that have committed themselves to being 'compassionate cities.' Police do not operate in isolation; they do their work in the context of the cultures in which they are situated. On this page, then, I offer springboards for thinking about the compassionate, spiritually literate police officer in the wider context of a city that has committed itself to compassionate living. Here are my sources:
I borrow the idea of spiritual literacy from an interfaith organization called Spirituality and Practice. Training in spiritual literacy is more then learning about the world's religions or even about what counts for "spirituality" among citizens. It is finding within yourself reservoirs of hope and inner peace, joy and mindfulness, imagination and presence. Police officers, like all of us, deserve training in the arts of such finding.
Many sectors of the society in which I live are afraid of police officers in general. Some among them, especially people of color, have been victims of police bullying and brutality. There is no excuse for this. If you have been bullied, you can't help but think of police as "them." And when you are in law enforcement, you find yourself immersed in a culture that likewise sees things in such contrasts as well, You may think in terms of "us" versus "them."
There is something understandable, but also false, about the dichotomy. In the larger scheme of things, "there is no them, just us." Here I am quoting a police officer herself, the Buddhist and dharma teacher Cheri Maples. The truth is that police are human beings, and that many of them want to live centered, creative lives that are of service to the world. But the can best do so in the larger context of cities and towns that have committed themselves to being 'compassionate cities.' Police do not operate in isolation; they do their work in the context of the cultures in which they are situated. On this page, then, I offer springboards for thinking about the compassionate, spiritually literate police officer in the wider context of a city that has committed itself to compassionate living. Here are my sources:
- The international compassionate cities project with its emphasis on spiritual assets, with the example of Pomona, California, in mind.
- Dr. Licole Robinson's recommendation, in her dissertation, that spirituality be incorporated into the training of police officers.
- Compassion education offered by the Center for Engaged Compassion,
- The spiritual alphabet offered by the interfaith organization Spirituality and Practice, along with its idea of growing in spiritual literacy.
- The understanding of persuasive power developed by process philosophy
- The vision of the Cobb Institute for Community and Practice with its emphasis on creative localization,
- The example of Cheri Maples, police officer and dharma teacher.
I am a Police Officer
I am a police officer. My job is very stressful. Some people appreciate me and some people hate me.
I did not get into police work to be feared. Of course, I want to enforce the law and protect people from criminals. They do exist. But I also want to be a mentor and guide. I would rather be admired as a role model than feared as a bully.
I work in a city that is part of the international compassionate city network. The inspiration for the network is The Charter for Compassion. The leaders of our network emphasize the importance of compassion education for parents, teachers, government officials, and regular people. I am a regular person.
Recently I watched a video on the last ten years of the compassionate city movement. It shows how, in Las Vegas, the city "has struck an innovative partnership between police and pastors to reduce violent crime." This was so interesting to me. I'd like for my city to do that, too. I'd like for us to develop a partnership with pastors that might help reduce violent crime.
But I'd like more than this. I'd like for my city to think of police officers like me as having some of the qualities of a really good pastor. Or at least of a person who inspires the best in others. I'd like for people in my city to see in us, police officers, something of what they see, or hope to see, in pastors and counselors and nurses and teachers.
In my city local citizens are turning to an organization called The Center for Engaged Compassion that specializes in compassion education. This center offers workshops and retreats for helping people deal with conflicts in a compassionate way. The center also offers a certificate for persons who seek to deepen their skills and capacities for compassionate living. They describe it as a practical spiritual formation program:
I did not get into police work to be feared. Of course, I want to enforce the law and protect people from criminals. They do exist. But I also want to be a mentor and guide. I would rather be admired as a role model than feared as a bully.
I work in a city that is part of the international compassionate city network. The inspiration for the network is The Charter for Compassion. The leaders of our network emphasize the importance of compassion education for parents, teachers, government officials, and regular people. I am a regular person.
Recently I watched a video on the last ten years of the compassionate city movement. It shows how, in Las Vegas, the city "has struck an innovative partnership between police and pastors to reduce violent crime." This was so interesting to me. I'd like for my city to do that, too. I'd like for us to develop a partnership with pastors that might help reduce violent crime.
But I'd like more than this. I'd like for my city to think of police officers like me as having some of the qualities of a really good pastor. Or at least of a person who inspires the best in others. I'd like for people in my city to see in us, police officers, something of what they see, or hope to see, in pastors and counselors and nurses and teachers.
In my city local citizens are turning to an organization called The Center for Engaged Compassion that specializes in compassion education. This center offers workshops and retreats for helping people deal with conflicts in a compassionate way. The center also offers a certificate for persons who seek to deepen their skills and capacities for compassionate living. They describe it as a practical spiritual formation program:
The certificate is designed as what they call a practical spiritual formation program for persons who seek to deepen their skills and capacities for compassionate living. The program is ideal for ministers, organizational leaders, social justice activists, teachers, parents, and anyone who seeks practical training in compassionate living. Taught by Dr. Frank Rogers, the Certificate offers a mixture of retreat, one-on-one spiritual direction, online instruction, weekly spiritual practices, group processes and radical teachings for personal and social transformation.
One last thing. The Center for Engaged Compassion speaks of the importance of being grounded in love. I, too, would like to be grounded in love. I know that sounds odd, because many might think that police offers are grounded in power but not love. What's worse, they think of our power as violent power or at least the threat of it. After all, we have guns. But I'm a religious person, and I think of of true power in a very different way. I think of it as the power of persuasion not coercion, of love rather than violence. That's the kind of power I'd like to carry with me in my work, sharing it with others and feeling it myself.
Is there a place in the training of police officers that might focus on our spiritual well-being? Thanks for listening.
The Compassionate City Movement
From the Compassionate City website:
A compassionate city is an uncomfortable city! A city that is uncomfortable when anyone is homeless or hungry. Uncomfortable if every child isn’t loved and given rich opportunities to grow and thrive. Uncomfortable when as a community we don’t treat our neighbors as we would wish to be treated.” (Karen Armstrong, Founder of the global movement, The Charter for Compassion)
Human beings are social animals. We live and work and socialize together in communities that exist in diverse cultures and climates throughout the Earth. Within each of these communities from Mongolia to Mogadishu to Managua to Minnesota, human beings experience compassion for others, relieving pain and suffering for their families, for their neighbors, for their communities. But the structure of modern society—of nation states and mega cities and a world population that has grown to over seven billion—often thwarts and distorts this natural desire to be compassionate. The sense of disconnection is so pervasive that unkindness, indifference, and selfishness appear as the norm; compassion, kindness and caring are the outliers.
The Compassionate Communities program is not a certificate program that offers a seal of approval, nor does it subscribe to a single definition of a Compassionate Community. Instead, the Charter invites communities of all sizes to bring compassion to life in practical, specific ways through compassion-driven actions—in neighborhoods, businesses, schools and colleges, healthcare, the arts, local government, peace groups, environmental advocacy groups, and faith congregations.
In a Compassionate Community, the needs of all the inhabitants of that community are recognized and met, the well-being of the entire community is a priority, and all people and living things are treated with respect. More simply, in a Compassionate Community, people are motivated by compassion to take responsibility for and care for each other. A community where compassion is fully alive is a thriving, resilient community whose members are moved by empathy to take compassionate action, are able to confront crises with innovative solutions, are confident in navigating changes in the economy and the environment, and are resilient enough to bounce back readily from natural and man-made disasters."
Human beings are social animals. We live and work and socialize together in communities that exist in diverse cultures and climates throughout the Earth. Within each of these communities from Mongolia to Mogadishu to Managua to Minnesota, human beings experience compassion for others, relieving pain and suffering for their families, for their neighbors, for their communities. But the structure of modern society—of nation states and mega cities and a world population that has grown to over seven billion—often thwarts and distorts this natural desire to be compassionate. The sense of disconnection is so pervasive that unkindness, indifference, and selfishness appear as the norm; compassion, kindness and caring are the outliers.
The Compassionate Communities program is not a certificate program that offers a seal of approval, nor does it subscribe to a single definition of a Compassionate Community. Instead, the Charter invites communities of all sizes to bring compassion to life in practical, specific ways through compassion-driven actions—in neighborhoods, businesses, schools and colleges, healthcare, the arts, local government, peace groups, environmental advocacy groups, and faith congregations.
In a Compassionate Community, the needs of all the inhabitants of that community are recognized and met, the well-being of the entire community is a priority, and all people and living things are treated with respect. More simply, in a Compassionate Community, people are motivated by compassion to take responsibility for and care for each other. A community where compassion is fully alive is a thriving, resilient community whose members are moved by empathy to take compassionate action, are able to confront crises with innovative solutions, are confident in navigating changes in the economy and the environment, and are resilient enough to bounce back readily from natural and man-made disasters."
A Role for Spirituality in the
Training of Police Officers
"Police officers are exposed to occupational stressors that can negatively affect their job performance. Spirituality has received scholarly attention as a potential therapeutic strategy to assist individuals working under stressful conditions. Research indicated that police culture often overlooks the spiritual well-being of police officers. Much of the police literature on stress and spirituality has been examined using quantitative methods of inquiry. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore police officers’ perceptions regarding the use of spirituality to manage occupational stress and job performance.
Findings may encourage law enforcement leaders, administrators, and trainers to recognize the possible benefits of nurturing the spiritual dimension within officers and to consider incorporating spirituality into standard training practices, organizational policies, and employee wellness programs."
- Robinson, Licole, "Police Officers' Perceptions of Spirituality for Managing Occupational Stress and Job Performance" (2019). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies.
The Answer is Yes
Dear police officer. I'm with you. The answer is “Yes.”
The role of police officers in a compassionate city can be to enforce the law. Criminals and bad people really exist. There is evil in the world. But the role of the police officer can be to help create an atmosphere of compassion within a community by being role models.
In order to do this, police officers need what the compassionate cities project calls ‘spiritual assets.’ See the essay on spiritual assets in the website for the Charter for Compassion.
What are these spiritual assets? Certain they include compassion itself, a commitment to community well-being, and a vision for community itself. But spirituality involves more than compassion and justice. More than ethics. The spiritual side of human life is the activity, within a person’s life, of becoming a whole person: body mind and spirit. Spiritual education is whole person education. You seek that for yourself and I seek it as well, for you and me and all.
A Spiritual Alphabet
What is a whole person? Spirituality and Practice has developed a list of thirty-seven assets which, in one context or another, will be important in the officer. They include compassion and kindness, but also imagination and listening, a sense of connection with community and hospitality to strangers. Take a look. Think of them as "qualities of heart and mind" or "forms of relatedness" that are part of what it means to be a whole person.
The role of police officers in a compassionate city can be to enforce the law. Criminals and bad people really exist. There is evil in the world. But the role of the police officer can be to help create an atmosphere of compassion within a community by being role models.
In order to do this, police officers need what the compassionate cities project calls ‘spiritual assets.’ See the essay on spiritual assets in the website for the Charter for Compassion.
What are these spiritual assets? Certain they include compassion itself, a commitment to community well-being, and a vision for community itself. But spirituality involves more than compassion and justice. More than ethics. The spiritual side of human life is the activity, within a person’s life, of becoming a whole person: body mind and spirit. Spiritual education is whole person education. You seek that for yourself and I seek it as well, for you and me and all.
A Spiritual Alphabet
What is a whole person? Spirituality and Practice has developed a list of thirty-seven assets which, in one context or another, will be important in the officer. They include compassion and kindness, but also imagination and listening, a sense of connection with community and hospitality to strangers. Take a look. Think of them as "qualities of heart and mind" or "forms of relatedness" that are part of what it means to be a whole person.
With these qualities of heart in mind, a question emerges: How can police officers grow in these capacities? Can they be trained into them?
The Center for Engaged Compassion
And how might this training occur? Who might do it? In the city of Pomona, California, where you live, one possibility for this training lies in the work of the Pomona-based Center for Engaged Compassion, led by Dr. Fred Rogers. The mission of the center is simple: "to repair the world through a practical application of wise and skillful compassion." The training is aimed to help people:
I can well understand how the Center for Engaged Compassion might work with the police department to provide training, not only in compassion as such, but also in becoming a whole person with help from the spiritual wheel developed by the Brussats. Needless to say, such whole person education is relevant to other people as well: social workers, teachers, government officials, ordinary people. But, yes, it's relevant to you, too.
The Cobb Institute
You will note that in the spiritual alphabet "V" is for vision. A consideration of whole person education, of spiritual education, for police officers and others will make sense in light of a larger hope for the world. Here I find the work of the Cobb Institute: A Community of Process and Practice helpful. It speaks of the worldwide need for local communities that are creative, compassionate, participatory, diverse, inclusive, humane to animals, and good for the earth, with no one left behind. They are the building blocks of what it calls ecological civilizations.
Your hope for whole person education for police of a larger hope for whole person education throughout the world, for police and for all. You can understand your own work as part of this larger hope, which means that even as you contribute to your community, you are also embarked upon the great work of our time: to help develop a world which is a network of communities of communities of communities grounded in love -- and wonder and imagination and connection and beauty and all the other qualities so important to us. Your very question is an example of the vision you bring to this great work, this larger adventure. Take pride!
-- Jay McDaniel
The Center for Engaged Compassion
And how might this training occur? Who might do it? In the city of Pomona, California, where you live, one possibility for this training lies in the work of the Pomona-based Center for Engaged Compassion, led by Dr. Fred Rogers. The mission of the center is simple: "to repair the world through a practical application of wise and skillful compassion." The training is aimed to help people:
- Develop skills and practices for self-compassion
- Learn how to identify and transform difficult emotions (rage, depression, fear, etc.)
- Increase their capacity to heal suffering in self, others, and institutions.
- Develop techniques for relating to oneself, friends, family members, strangers, perpetrators, and even ‘enemies’ with genuine compassion
- Learn how to engage victims and perpetrators, broken families, groups in conflict—without diminishing anyone’s dignity
- Understand how to participate in social actions that confront injustice from a grounded place of love rather than from reactive anger or resentment.
I can well understand how the Center for Engaged Compassion might work with the police department to provide training, not only in compassion as such, but also in becoming a whole person with help from the spiritual wheel developed by the Brussats. Needless to say, such whole person education is relevant to other people as well: social workers, teachers, government officials, ordinary people. But, yes, it's relevant to you, too.
The Cobb Institute
You will note that in the spiritual alphabet "V" is for vision. A consideration of whole person education, of spiritual education, for police officers and others will make sense in light of a larger hope for the world. Here I find the work of the Cobb Institute: A Community of Process and Practice helpful. It speaks of the worldwide need for local communities that are creative, compassionate, participatory, diverse, inclusive, humane to animals, and good for the earth, with no one left behind. They are the building blocks of what it calls ecological civilizations.
Your hope for whole person education for police of a larger hope for whole person education throughout the world, for police and for all. You can understand your own work as part of this larger hope, which means that even as you contribute to your community, you are also embarked upon the great work of our time: to help develop a world which is a network of communities of communities of communities grounded in love -- and wonder and imagination and connection and beauty and all the other qualities so important to us. Your very question is an example of the vision you bring to this great work, this larger adventure. Take pride!
-- Jay McDaniel
The Inner Dimension
"Community action requires not just skill, but a person using the skill. Community effectiveness also depends on what the actor brings to the situation: the inner dimension of community change.
What are some examples of those qualities? They might be expressed in the enthusiasm the person conveys, or through a warm and supportive comment, or by a willingness to shrug off a temporary setback, or by extending oneself to offer a particularly thoughtful kindness.
These are not skills, in the same way that writing a funding proposal or forming a coalition is a skill. The focus here is more on the “spirit” of the actor or change agent – the spirit one brings, for example, to encouraging others to participate, or advocating for a cause. It goes beyond technique, seeming to come from within. It may at first seem intangible, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to understand, capture, and utilize it. For such spirit is nevertheless present, and it can have a powerful impact upon the work."
-- from Compassionate Community website
What are some examples of those qualities? They might be expressed in the enthusiasm the person conveys, or through a warm and supportive comment, or by a willingness to shrug off a temporary setback, or by extending oneself to offer a particularly thoughtful kindness.
These are not skills, in the same way that writing a funding proposal or forming a coalition is a skill. The focus here is more on the “spirit” of the actor or change agent – the spirit one brings, for example, to encouraging others to participate, or advocating for a cause. It goes beyond technique, seeming to come from within. It may at first seem intangible, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to understand, capture, and utilize it. For such spirit is nevertheless present, and it can have a powerful impact upon the work."
-- from Compassionate Community website
Persuasion not Coercion
The Whiteheadian Police Officer
A Whiteheadian police officer is like a Whiteheadian physician. Just as the physician has a good bedside manner, so the police officer has a good street manner.
The officer does not need to know anything about the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. The officer simply needs to practice police work in a Whiteheadian spirit: that is, with a preference for dialogue over coercion, with an inner sense of compassion, with a capacity for being mindful of each new moment in a relaxed and alert way, inwardly animated by a concern for the well-being of all, himself or herself included. If he or she is religious, she can understand this inner animation as her way of touching the mystery at the heart of the universe: that is, as touching God. Being a police officer will be her vocation: her calling from God.
Of course none of this comes easily. It takes a lifetime to become a Whiteheadian police officer. The officer is always learning how to be an officer. Taking on the badge is a beginning but not an end. She wears the badge with honor and humility.
The Gun and the Handshake
The task of the Whiteheadian police officer is clear enough. It is (1) to protect peace of society as a whole by implicit threat of force, and (2) to help bring about a fulfilled and fulfilling community.
Unfortunately, these objectives are in tension with one another. The first objective builds upon coercive power, whereas the second builds upon relational power. The officer has the power of the gun and the power of the handshake.
For the Whiteheadian police officer, the power of the handshake is infinitely more powerful than that of the gun. The officer believes in persuasion not coercion, cooperation not domination. Always the officer is eager for a handshake.
Coercive power is the power to force another person (or group of people) into submission through the threat of force. This power is a necessary evil rather than a good. The police officer carries a gun with a sense of tragedy, wishing for a world in which guns are not necessary. There is no sense of satisfaction in carrying a gun in swagger; rather there is, in a certain sense, a kind of sadness.
Persuasive power is the power to invite or persuade another person (or group of people) into what can become, in time, a satisfying way of living in the world. It is relational rather than dominating.
In process theology God operates through persuasive power, not coercive power. God doesn't carry a gun and, in the best of worlds, we wouldn't either.
By contrast, and of necessity, police officers carry guns, because we do not live in the best of worlds. For some this may give them a sense of power; but it also separates them from others who are afraid of them. This is why, in being a police officer, the personality -- indeed the spirit -- of the officer makes a difference.
In her comportment and in her soul, the officer needs to be alert, relaxed, and compassionate: a peacemaker. In learning to love, the police officer can find solace in Jesus, who also grew into his mission. This is the way it always works. We grow into our vocation, sometimes carrying the hearts of others with us. There's no need for perfection. All that is needed is a heart that leans toward love, one moment at a time.
-- Jay McDaniel
The officer does not need to know anything about the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. The officer simply needs to practice police work in a Whiteheadian spirit: that is, with a preference for dialogue over coercion, with an inner sense of compassion, with a capacity for being mindful of each new moment in a relaxed and alert way, inwardly animated by a concern for the well-being of all, himself or herself included. If he or she is religious, she can understand this inner animation as her way of touching the mystery at the heart of the universe: that is, as touching God. Being a police officer will be her vocation: her calling from God.
Of course none of this comes easily. It takes a lifetime to become a Whiteheadian police officer. The officer is always learning how to be an officer. Taking on the badge is a beginning but not an end. She wears the badge with honor and humility.
The Gun and the Handshake
The task of the Whiteheadian police officer is clear enough. It is (1) to protect peace of society as a whole by implicit threat of force, and (2) to help bring about a fulfilled and fulfilling community.
Unfortunately, these objectives are in tension with one another. The first objective builds upon coercive power, whereas the second builds upon relational power. The officer has the power of the gun and the power of the handshake.
For the Whiteheadian police officer, the power of the handshake is infinitely more powerful than that of the gun. The officer believes in persuasion not coercion, cooperation not domination. Always the officer is eager for a handshake.
Coercive power is the power to force another person (or group of people) into submission through the threat of force. This power is a necessary evil rather than a good. The police officer carries a gun with a sense of tragedy, wishing for a world in which guns are not necessary. There is no sense of satisfaction in carrying a gun in swagger; rather there is, in a certain sense, a kind of sadness.
Persuasive power is the power to invite or persuade another person (or group of people) into what can become, in time, a satisfying way of living in the world. It is relational rather than dominating.
In process theology God operates through persuasive power, not coercive power. God doesn't carry a gun and, in the best of worlds, we wouldn't either.
By contrast, and of necessity, police officers carry guns, because we do not live in the best of worlds. For some this may give them a sense of power; but it also separates them from others who are afraid of them. This is why, in being a police officer, the personality -- indeed the spirit -- of the officer makes a difference.
In her comportment and in her soul, the officer needs to be alert, relaxed, and compassionate: a peacemaker. In learning to love, the police officer can find solace in Jesus, who also grew into his mission. This is the way it always works. We grow into our vocation, sometimes carrying the hearts of others with us. There's no need for perfection. All that is needed is a heart that leans toward love, one moment at a time.
-- Jay McDaniel
Cheri Maples: A Buddhist Approach
Cheryll Ann Maples (November 1, 1952 – July 27, 2017) was an American police officer, peace activist and dharma instructor, ordained by Thích Nhất Hạnh in January 2008. She died on July 27, 2017, aged 64, from complications of injuries sustained in a bicycle crash in September 2016.
Beyond "Us" and "Them" |
Law Enforcement and Mindfulness
Cheri, we were very happy when you came to us with the idea to bring the mindfulness practice to law enforcement. We encourage you to bring all you have learned about the practice of mindfulness and peace into the field of criminal justice. We all must have a spiritual practice so as not to burn out in our service to others. This Lamp is a token of the love and trust we have in you. Through your practice and efforts, this Lamp will shine for a long time.” About Cheri Maples"Cheri Maples is a dharma teacher, keynote speaker, and organizational consultant and trainer. In 2008 she was ordained a dharma teacher by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, her long-time spiritual teacher. 
Cheri Maples
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