It is not uncommon in religious texts to speak of the importance of "witnessing," but this usually refers to people of a particular faith who give testimony to their beliefs. In spiritual teachings, the witness has a vital role to play in bringing awareness and insight to the resolution of suffering; in bringing "heaven," that is peace and reconciliation, to a potentially hellish situation. Detached and unbiased, the witness seeks to diffuse suffering, to dissolve the climate of negativity, and to see an end to the strife and the stress that accompany it.
— Christopher Titmuss, Transforming Our Terror