Sow Justice, Reap Peace

Dear friends,

For the first time in its history, the (continental) United States has been hit by members of a foreign nation. Billions of dollars' worth of nuclear warheads, "Star Wars" military defenses, B-1 bombers, and military intelligence could not protect us; our illusion of invulnerability has finally been shattered. With that comes a deep sense of insecurity. For the first time, Americans are feeling a little of what Europeans felt during the World Wars, Vietnamese felt during the war on their soil, and along with the shock, grief and loss there is a sense of deep outrage and fear. As long as we felt invulnerable in the power of our military, there was a certain arrogance; our government could do anything, and get away with it. What did it matter if the United States broke treaties, walked out of international talks such as the World Conference Against Racism, and was viewed as a "rogue nation" in many parts of the world?

I shudder when I hear George Bush and many others speak of the "evil" that was done. Who are we to call others "evil", when our government has intentionally killed countless civilians in Arab nations, while the CIA commits unspeakable acts of torture, and our tax dollars prop up ruthless dictators all over the globe so that we can have access to cheap resources? But the suffering inflicted by our government and multinational corporations is rarely mentioned in the media. Are those lives any less sacred than American lives? What is the root cause of the attack upon the Pentagon and World Trade Center? What unbearable suffering gave rise to such fierce anger?

History is clear: retaliation with violence only causes more lives lost, more suffering, more violence, in an endless cycle. When will we have the courage to recognize that a call for peace and non-violence is not an act of weakness, but one of love, strength, and creativity? The belief that our interests are opposed to those of others in this world drives all forms of war and aggression. Yet we ALL need clean air, clean water, food, peace, a future for our children, the protection of our Mother Earth. My prayers are for us to wake up to the realization that we are one human family. The only true security will never come from more weapons or warfare, but only from cooperation and peacemaking. We must work for justice, and work together to stop the corporate juggernaut that is destroying the planet in the name of profit.

As Thich Nhat Hanh says, "Responding to violence with violence is injustice, not only to the other person but also to oneself. Responding to violence with violence resolves nothing; it only escalates violence, anger and hatred. It is only with compassion that we can embrace and disintegrate violence. This is true in relationships between individuals as well as in relationships between nations... The violence and hatred we presently face has been created by misunderstanding, injustice, discrimination and despair. We are all co-responsible for the making of violence and despair in the world by our way of living, of consuming and of handling the problems of the world. Understanding why this violence has been created, we will then know what to do in order to decrease the level of violence in ourselves and in the world, to create and foster understanding, reconciliation and forgiveness."

It's time to heal all our relationships.

Peace and blessings,

Cathy