I like this, from a discussion among families of soldiers who have died in battle:
I believe that we need to be strong and tough, clear and direct. The choice I see is whether we use the "good v. evil" language that helped to sell this war to the American people, or we use language and actions of peacemakers, which refrain from blame and acknowledge that the capacity for good and evil is within each of us. I believe that when we call our leaders evil and blame them alone for the war, we perpetuate violence because we reinforce the illusion that peace is won by silencing or eliminating "evil people." Then we are only inviting the world to choose which people are evil, rather than inviting the spirit of peace to settle in each heart. In our media-driven world, the call to judgment -- "Choose which group is evil" -- sells advertising, but it breeds violence. Let us heed the ancient wisdom that says when we see evil, first remove it from ourselves. Let us speak strongly and directly about *human* wrongdoing instead of prejudice-laced claims about Republican wrongdoing, Islamic wrongdoing, Arab wrongdoing and so forth. Prejudice of any kind -- political, religious or racist -- has no place in a peace movement. Let us embrace conflict with those who imagine that they are good and others are evil, remembering that peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of the spirit of self-sacrifice that led our loved ones to military service and their graves. Although I am deeply troubled by the policies that sent our troops to Iraq, I find peace in knowing that many have volunteered to put themselves in harm's way because their friends were in harm's way. Although I feel great anxiety when I consider that are beeing killed and injured in a war I find immoral, I find peace in knowing that for the vast majority of them, their motivation is love, not politics. Theirs is a spirit of self-sacrifice and service, the spirit that demonstrates with strong actions and quiet words that we are never alone, never forsaken. Prejudice vanishes in the chaos of battle, which lets us find unity in the brutality of war. Unfortunately, many Americans understandably choose to focus on our nation's noble principles, blind to the real costs of war. On a bloody street, whether it is Fallujah or Philadelphia, a person truly devoted to service cannot help but turn to the essence of being human, surrendering personal safety and selfishness to aid and defend friends and often also the wounded and captured enemies. Those who take lives in the service of country find nothing glorious in killing because they know that each enemy death is a fellow human. Differences over politics, religion, race mean little. The truth is not, "Greater love has no one than this, to eliminate one's enemies." The great truth is, "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." Those are words that lead to blood and tears, words that are neither soft nor nice, yet they are words of love, a love we are called to extend not just to our friends, but also to our enemies. May we always use strong, direct and tough words of love. -- Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voicemail: 408-904-7198 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
