Society is destroyed from the inside

SOCIETY IS DESTROYED FROM THE INSIDE

We tend to think that the threats to our society or to ourselves are outside of us. We fear that some enemy will destroy us. But a society is destroyed from the inside, not from an attack by outsiders. We may imagine the enemy coming with spears and machine guns to kill us, massacre us. In reality, the only thing that can destroy us is within ourselves. If we have too much arrogance, we will destroy our gentleness. And if we destroy gentleness, then we destroy the possibility of being awake, and then we cannot use our intuitive openness to extend ourselves in situations properly. Instead we generate tremendous aggression.

From: SHAMBHALA: THE SACRED PATH OF THE WARRIOR, By Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Shambhala Publications