Our meals and institutions reflect each other and reinforce the
delusion that we are violent and competitive by nature. Spiritual and
religious teachings say otherwise. The Bodhisattva ideal that Buddhists
emulate, for example, embodies the understanding that our true nature
is wisdom, loving-kindness and cooperativeness. Our greatest joy comes
in helping others and blessing them, and we hurt ourselves the most
when we harm others for our own gain.