Illustration by Tomi Um

Today a U.S. president foments fear, mistrust and divisiveness. How do we stand up for the promise of America in such a threatening environment? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that the answer is love: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Mushim Patricia Ikeda teaches us how to generate loving-kindness and good will as an antidote to hatred and fear. “Metta is a meditation practice,” she says, “that involves concentrating and reciting, either silently or out loud, phrases of good wishes toward yourself and others…
“What this form of meditation is designed to do—and for many people does very successfully—is to purify us of hatred and ill will. Good will is the antidote to ill will. Good will, or loving-kindness, is the antidote to ill will, hatred, and enmity."
Article: How to Practice Metta for a Troubled Time