The news frightened me yesterday. On and on with the killing in Iraq, and now you have to wonder if a conflict with Iran is coming. Not to speak of a new "spring offensive" in Afghanistan. I just wonder if we are heading to a world of permanent warfare, like the Oceania-Eastasia-Eurasia war in 1984.
Everyone says that they want peace, but their problem is they don't know what peace is. To the world, peace is just the absence of annoyance and conflict. It is the absence of anything which would interfere with their own selfish projects and plans for exploitation of others.
Real peace isn't just the absence of conflict. It is an active, provocative force. It "turns the other cheek," putting the power of peace and non-violence in the face of those whose misery and self-hate explodes into the all the violence of the world.
As long as we live in fear, there can be no peace. But the answer to fear is not war, is not the "Cheney doctrine" of destroying threats before they can arise. Perhaps Yoda put it best: "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
4 comments:
AMEN!!! This is true for more local conflicts such as those going on in families, and to which I've been exposed lately. My attempts at mediating between the warring factions have only gotten me in trouble though, lol. But I'll keep trying.
"And they healed the breach of the daughter of my people disgracefully, saying: Peace, peace: and there was no peace."
Jeremiah 6:14
Thanks for the comments, friends. Family is often a thankless ministry, forget me not. I'm glad you can "lol."
And that's a great quote, anonymous. Jeremiah knew the difference between the true King who offers Peace, and the leaders of this world.
There's no other way, friar, and really, some situations are absolutely ridiculous!
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